Wherever You Will Go
by Ash Riley
Summary: Sometimes the perfect endings can't be found, and everything is full of uncertainty. But it's these experiences and the people we get to know along the way that make life worth living. Mostly Jay/Erika and Bradin/OC. Chapter 14 is now up!
1. The Boy Is Gone

**Hey everyone, I bet you didn't think I'd be back this quickly. I never thought my first story would ever be much of anything, but apparently you guys enjoyed it, which made me incredibly happy...and I digress. This story has been in my head for several months now. It's the story I've wanted to write for a long time, something a bit more personal than expected.**

**I did want to dedicate this to a certain person of whom I've made an acquaintance through this site:**

**ShiaLover09, this story is for you. You've kept pushing me to write more and given me a lot of encouragement. I wanted you to know how much I appreciate that. You're an amazing person! I could go on for awhile longer, but in some cases, less is more. ****I hope this story does you justice.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except my own characters and the (hopefully) original storyline.**

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A little background:

Jay is the main focus of the beginning of this story. He's actually my favorite character, even if he doesn't have much of a moral compass. As the story continues, the focus will shift a bit to another character. The time setting is probably after the second season, except I backed up the time, so there is more time before the end of summer. I'm sure the characters will be a little out of character, but so long as they don't turn into crazy murderers, who's paying attention?

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Chapter 1- The Boy Is Gone

The phone sat on the table across from him. Jay eyed the silent object with slight annoyance. The entire household was gone, out enjoying themselves, while he engaged in a staring contest with the phone. He'd been sitting there for hours waiting for it to ring, anything but the silence that permeated the room. The simple fact that this bothered him only added to his irritation. He had called her cell phone numerous times only to reach her voicemail, and he'd left dozens of messages. After a few days of this, the operator's monotone recording informed him that the number had been disconnected. Jay felt almost physically ill at the thought of never being able to talk to her again. They had promised to communicate no matter how difficult things became. Now, here he was waiting for a word, letter, phone call, something to let him know how she was feeling. But it didn't appear that she wanted to talk to him, which in turn spoke volumes to him. She hadn't even given him a chance to tell her everything he was experiencing. The need to speak to her, to tell her everything would be okay was overwhelming. How long would he have to wait? _I need you. I need to hear your voice again, telling me that you still love me_ he thought. _I miss you..._

The ticking clock mocked his silent vigil, with his eyes straying in that direction every few seconds. "You could go out and look for her, you idiot," he said aloud. "That's much more productive than sitting here staring at the phone as it can tell the future." But inwardly, he knew that it wouldn't help. He had already tried. The first day after the accident, he'd gone to her home, but there was no one there, except the landlord who was taping a For Rent sign in the front window. All the man had known was that Isabel and her son, Danny had moved out suddenly, but they left no forwarding address.

The accident. His heart felt sick at the very thought of it. The impact hadn't injured either of them, but the stress of the situation had been too much to handle and she had lost the baby. His baby. The sense of loss that filled him was bitter. He buried his face in his hands as he sat there and remembered. The stunning realization that his first child would not be born, that they would never meet. He recalled her combination of guilt and anger at him. If only he could go back to that day, maybe he could alter the future. He wouldn't have tried so hard to speed through the yellow light. But events had already been set into motion, and he couldn't return. At that intersection, his dreams had come crashing down like the glass from the windshield. She blamed him for the accident, and had spoken to him only once since then.

Jay stood and went into the kitchen to grab a glass of water and maybe distract himself from obsessing. The phone rang, causing his heart to jump in anticipation and the glass to slip from his suddenly limp fingers, crashing onto the floor. He ran into the living room, grabbing at the phone like a man possessed, pausing only to take a deep breath before answering. "Hello?" His voice sounded so desperate that he wanted to kick himself. It was a wrong number, some guy asking about pizza delivery. "I'm sorry, you have the wrong number," he managed to blurt out before he was left sitting there with the dial tone buzzing in his ear. Jay slammed the phone back on the cradle. He stared numbly at the wall before rising to pick up the broken glass off the floor. As he was placing the glass shards in the garbage, one particularly sharp piece sliced into his finger. "Ouch!" he exclaimed, his anger at a breaking point. Jay threw the remaining pieces into the trash, and examined his finger, which was beginning to bleed. The wound was fairly deep, but wasn't enough to require stitches. He clumsily wrapped the cut in a piece of gauze and secured it with tape, wishing the whole time that he hadn't injured his dominant hand. Jay wandered over to the couch, flopping down on the cushions. Maybe the television would distract him from the pain in his hand and the troubled thoughts in his head. After several minutes of struggling to watch a reality show about making reality shows, he realized that this attempt wasn't working. His mind was still solely occupied by Isabel.

She wasn't the only one struggling with guilt. He couldn't seem to get over the fact that it was his fault. He was the one to blame, and now he'd lost her, maybe permanently. Isabel had definitely not been what he was expecting. She was a single mother, trying to raise a son on her own, while he ran a surf shop and daydreamed about surfing in his spare time. They had rushed into a relationship, which in hindsight, was a bad decision on his part. He would never do that again. No, he'd learned his lesson, and now he was paying for it. Maybe if they had taken time to talk, to really know each other, he wouldn't be in this position. "Never again," he promised himself. "If only I could turn back time."

The sound of the front door opening brought him back from his thoughts. Jay glanced over to see Nikki storming into the house. She slammed the front door and leaned against it. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"It's Cameron! He's being so confusing! I wish I could read his mind sometimes, to know what he's thinking. It'd be much simpler sometimes," she told him, coming over to sit next to him.

"I hear you there," he said. Nikki noticed his downcast face and decided to save her problem for later.

"Still no call?" He shook his head. "Well, it's only been a few days. Maybe she'll call you tomorrow," she said hopefully.

"I don't think there's going to be a tomorrow," Jay said glumly. Nikki was about to say something when the door opened again, and Bradin walked in. His face wasn't exactly a picture of happiness either.

"Were you out with Erika?" Nikki asked. "How did it go?"

"Let's just say that it went nowhere. We're going to stay friends because it's too complicated otherwise." He came and joined them on the couch. "I think I'm done with dating for awhile."

"Join the club," Jay muttered. Bradin was about to ask if he'd heard from Isabel, but a small head shake from Nikki kept him from asking, and he changed his question. "Where's everyone else?"

"Derrick's spending the night with a friend, and Aunt Ava, Johnny, Susannah, and Matt went out to dinner and then to the boardwalk," Nikki rattled off. "I think that about covers everyone."

"Well, I guess I don't need a calendar when you're around," Bradin teased her, reaching over to ruffle her hair. She shoved his hand away, giving him a dirty look. "Why are you back so early, anyways?" Jay tuned out their conversation to wallow in his misery.

"Because guys are impossible to understand, and I can't take it!" she told him, about to launch into the whole story, when Ava and Susannah walked in. The looks on their faces were almost identical to the others in the house. "How was your evening?" Nikki asked them.

"Could have been worse," Ava said.

"It was worse," Susannah corrected her, rolling her eyes. "Not exactly my ideal date."

"The guys got to talking about video games they played in their childhoods. We ended up watching them play at the arcade. Ten rounds of Mega Blaster later, Susannah and I decided to call it a night," Ava explained, surveying the full living room. "I see everyone else seemed to have an early night as well." Her gaze fell on Jay, who was blankly staring at the empty TV screen. Her expression changed to one of compassion. "Still no call?"

"No," was all he said.

"Jay, I'm sure she'll call soon. She knows how much you care about her," Ava tried to encourage him.

"Yeah, I know," he said woodenly. "I think I'll head off to try to catch some sleep." He stood just as the phone rang, and he sprinted over to answer it. It wasn't Isabel. The voice on the other end was very familiar. However, it was one he hadn't heard in a long time and didn't ever think he'd hear from for many years, if ever. The exchange was brief, and at her words, his heart plummeted, and he had to hold onto the table to keep from falling over. The phone slipped out of his suddenly limp fingers and hit the table with a clunk.

"Jay, what is it?" Ava asked, concern filling her voice. He really didn't look good, his normally tan complexion was pale. The others gathered around, fear thick among them.

"I've got to go home," Jay managed to say. The few words had shaken him to his core, and he wondered if things would ever be the same again.

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**I hope you enjoyed the beginning to this new story. Let me know what you think! I like to name my chapters after song titles. Each song kind of fits the respective chapter in some way. Hopefully, it's not illegal...For this one, I used Jason Mraz's The Boy Is Gone. And as always, thanks for reading!  
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	2. Open Wounds

**Hey everyone...I felt like writing, so here's the next part! **

**ShiaLover09: You're welcome:) It's the least I could do...well, I'm sure there's something less, but anyways. Yeah, I'm excited for how this story's coming along so far. The writing is flowing much better in my opinion. I actually have an outline, and I'm sticking to it...so far.**

**angel-prncess-18: Yep, the story is about Jay...for now, but in the next couple chapters, I'm sure you'll be able to see the transition happening. It is kind of a sad story, but I like it:) It's about to get a whole lot sadder, so get ready for that...**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Nope, not in the least**

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Chapter 2 - Open Wounds

Jay stepped out onto the back deck of his childhood home, inhaling a deep breath of salty air. The breeze stung his lungs, only slightly detracting from the constant weight that he now pulled around within himself. It felt slightly strange to be back in Australia after so much time away. Time had passed, and circumstances were different now. He had just returned from the funeral and was taking a break from the crowds of people who filled every inch of the house. The summer heat bore down on him, and he loosened the tie around his neck and finally removed it. "Why did you have to go?" he spat out angrily to no one in particular. "We might have…could have…talked one more time. But now. Now, all I have left are regrets."

"Don't have regrets, dear," his mother said, coming up behind him. "Your father wouldn't want you to feel like this."

"But I do! I feel horrible, Mum. I shouldn't have left angry," he said, his fist pounding the railing.

"You are very much like him," Maria Robertson looked fondly at her son. "So proud, the both of you." She brushed his unruly hair out of his face. "Jay, sometimes, things like this happen. They don't make sense, but we learn. Eventually, with time, the pain will not be as intense. Then, you will be able to move on." Jay turned and rested his head on her shoulder. She continued to stroke his hair in a comforting manner. "He loved you very much. I know you didn't think so, but he loved you. That's what happens when you're a parent. Even when your child is breaking your heart, you love them."

"Do you think he felt a lot of pain?" he asked, feeling like a small child.

"The doctor said that the attack was quick and relatively pain free."

"I never wanted this to happen, Mum," he said. "I should have come home sooner."

"Enough of that," Maria shushed her son. "You wouldn't have know this was going to happen."

"But I should have talked to him earlier…before now," Jay protested.

"The days before the attack, he talked about you constantly. It was like he knew," she remembered. "Everything he said was about how proud he was of you. Although he didn't agree with some of your decisions, he was always proud of his only son." Jay felt like he was going to burst from holding in the howl of misery that filled him.

"I remember everything. The time he took me out on the waves for the first time. Every moment of that day is in my mind still. Maybe if I hadn't gone out on tour and stayed to help with the business, he would still be alive."

"Your father could have hired someone to help him, but he refused to have any assistance. I wanted him to retire a couple years ago, but he always insisted on next year. Now, there will never be a next year," his mother sighed very softly.

"I'm sorry," he said guiltily. "I came here for you, not to dump old problems on you."

"It doesn't matter whether you're five or twenty-seven. You're always going to be my baby," Maria said. She caressed his hair lovingly, a small smile playing along her lips.

"You seem so happy. How do you do it?" Jay asked. "I mean, you've spent the past 30 years with Dad. How can you deal with this?"

"Way back in the beginning, when we were first married, we had a discussion similar to this. We decided that no matter what happened, the two of us would continue to live our lives. That even if death separated us, we wouldn't give up. I'm still hurting. It hasn't completely sank in yet, to be honest, but I know that this is what your father would want me to do. I'm just trying to honor his wishes. I miss him very much."

"I wish it didn't take death to make me realize how much I loved him," Jay said quietly. "I don't know how I'm going to make it. I want it to all be a dream"

"Take one day at a time. Someday, you won't have to remind yourself to breathe, and it'll be as if you have woken up from a dream," Maria smiled at her son. "We're going to make it through this."

"What are you going to do? Will you stay here?" he asked.

"Let's not discuss this now. We should return to our guests. But tonight, we'll talk. There are some things you need to know," she said, her words sounding slightly ominous. She stood and turned to go back into the house. "Take a few more minutes and collect yourself before coming back in." Jay was left standing there. He threw one last, longing look at the ocean, before trudging slowly into the house. All the people were in groups talking softly, oblivious to his pain. One or two people came up to him and spoke a few words before skittering away as if he had some sort of disease. Jay inwardly hoped that the time would pass quickly and they would leave him in peace. He heard countless remarks about how much he looked like his father, and how tragic it was that he had died. Often, he had to reign in his comments, to prevent himself from completely chewing out the person with whom he was conversing. Finally, after what seemed like hours later, the last person had left, and they were the only two remaining in the empty house. "Jay, why don't you go sit out on the deck, and I'll be out there in a minute." He moved to do her bidding. Several minutes later, Maria appeared with some papers in her hand. "Before you read these, there are some things you need to know."

"What do you mean?" Jay asked. A pang of foreboding hit him at her words.  
"I don't know how you're going to take this…" she began. He felt like he was going to burst from her secretive demeanor.

"What is it? Just say it. I'll be fine," he said, waiting impatiently for her answer.

"Okay, well….Your father and I loved each other very much, but there have been rocky patches in our relationship," she said. Jay remembered situations when he had hidden in his room, trying to block out the sounds of his parents arguing. The memories secretly still pained him after all these years.

"Yes, I remember."

"Well, during those times, sometimes he would leave for a few days," Maria looked away from him. "On one of those occasions, he met another woman."

"Dad had an affair?" Of all the things she could have said, this was not was he was expecting. He felt as though someone had punched him in the stomach. He almost collapsed into the nearest chair, his legs feeling far too weak to support him.

"Yes, he told me about it just a few months before he died," Maria looked pleadingly at him. "I know this is hard for you to take. Both your father and I are to blame for this, not you. We didn't take the time to work out our problems, but chose to hide from them."

"But why did he do that? Weren't you enough? I knew you fought sometimes, but I thought things were good between you two."

"They were in the past few months. We decided to make things work instead of choosing the other way out."

"How did he meet her? She's probably some sort of a gold digger. Was she at the funeral earlier? Did I walk past her without even knowing it?" Jay had a myriad of questions.

"Actually, she was only visiting here at the time. She's originally from the U.S. and lives there now. I don't believe she was here, but you never know."

"You've talked to her?"

"Well, no, this is just what he told me."

"I can't believe it! How could he do this to you?" Jay exploded. "After all these years, why would he go after someone else?"

"We both had our own indiscretions, Jay," said Maria. "Both of us made huge mistakes. Several times during our marriage, we stopped communicating, stopped trying to make things work. But even though we had our share of troubles, we never stopped loving each other. These past few months have been the best ones of my life."

"You really believe that?" he asked. She saw the obstinate look on his face and sighed. This boy of hers could be so stubborn sometimes.

"Of course it took some time. It's not easy finding out that your husband chose someone else over you. For awhile, I was furious. I thought about giving up and leaving him. But I had a choice to make, and I chose him," she said simply. "It was the right thing to do."

"I…I don't know if I want to forgive him," Jay admitted. "I can't believe he's gone. I keep thinking that he's going to walk through the back door and this will have been a dream. I didn't mean to stay away for so long, and I didn't think I'd be back under these circumstances."

"Of course, he hoped that you would come back, but he would never admit it. Not to me, not to anyone, but we all knew anyways. He hated admitting he was wrong. Every time you called, I could hear him in the other room, trying to listen to our conversation. Still, he refused to budge." Maria studied her son's downcast face. "So it wasn't just you." He still didn't believe her. Couldn't believe her. By blaming himself, he could find a way to cover up the pain he was hiding. _No matter what, this is all your fault_ was the sad refrain that ran through his brain. _You could have been a better son, could have been more successful. Maybe then the last words you spoke to each other would not have been an argument._

"The last thing I ever said to him was that I hoped to never see him again. How am I supposed to forget that? He was so angry with me..." his words trailed off. Maria sat there for a moment.

"There is one more thing I need to tell you. Wait here," she said, quickly standing and hurrying into the house. Several minutes later, she returned with a white envelope in her hand. "I was supposed to give this to you when you arrived, but I forgot. I'll give you a moment." He slowly slit the envelope and pulled out the pieces of paper. His father's firm, neat handwriting jumped out at him from the first page. It was dated only three months before his father's death. Slowly, he began to read.

_Dear Jay,_

_Well, after all these years of silence, the first thing I can think of is that I owe you an apology. I'm so sorry, Jay. I'm your father and am supposed to love you unconditionally. And I do, so much. But I failed you all those years ago when I put the business first and kept telling myself that there would be time in the future. You were such an energetic, happy child, and I missed it. Before I knew it, you were almost grown, with very different dreams in life than what I had hoped for you. As my only son, I had so many dreams for you. Hopes and dreams that were not your own, and I wish I could have seen that back then. I wish I could go back and change what I said to you. I've regretted those words every day since. Yet, I've had many missed chances. Can you find it in your heart to forgive a prideful old man who has made so many mistakes?_

_Before I continue, there is something else I need to confess. Several years ago, when your mother and I were having troubles, I made a terrible mistake. I had an affair. I am so sorry that I hid this fact from you for so long. You deserved to know back then, but I was ashamed and afraid of what you might think. And now, it's too late. I received a letter this year from the woman I had an affair with. She wanted me to come visit her. Said there was something she needed to tell me. I couldn't, due to being ill, so, she called me and gave me the shock of my life. Jay, she had a child. My child. I want to be a part of this girl's life, a way to atone for my past mistakes with you, but I cannot because of this sickness. So, this is what I want to ask you. Will you be able to put the past behind us and find my daughter for me? It's almost impossible to ask, but you are my last hope. All I want is for her to be okay and to live a life that is full of love, of everything I cannot give to her._

_Jay, I know this will be hard for you. I never wanted to put you through this much pain. Please forgive me. I know you thought that I didn't care, that I never saw all you've accomplished. For all these years, I've watched you from a distance, kept every newspaper clipping of your achievements, and been so excited of all you've done. I'm so proud of you, son. You have become an amazing man. I love you very much._

_ Love,_

_ Dad_

Jay reached up to touch his face, which were wet with tears. He hadn't even realized he was crying. He had a sister._ I always wanted a little brother or sister, and now I do. I wonder what she's like._ His mind wandered for a minute before the anger set in. All his feelings were so conflicted within him. _How do you expect me to just forgive and forget? This is too much for me. I can't handle this._ Even as he thought the words, he understood his father's brilliance. Of course, his father had known Jay would have trouble adjusting, but he knew that Jay was strong enough to handle it. Perhaps the older man knew him better than he thought. He flipped through the rest of pages; a name, address and phone number was printed on one. So, the woman lived in Seattle, Washington now. She might be a little hard to track down, he thought. The next paper was a plane ticket. He stopped completely, his mouth slightly open. He looked over at his mother. She had tears in her eyes, but she nodded encouragingly at him. "You knew about this, didn't you?" he asked.

"I believe you can do it."

"I don't think I can," he said. "How can I? I feel as though my world is completely upside down. I'm so angry, confused…."

"Let go of it. It will take time, but you've got to do it, or else you'll just be a bitter man, with a lot of disappointments." She was right, and he knew it. _I can't do this. This is too much to ask._ There were a million reasons why he shouldn't do this. But in the end, he lost every single one. He would go to Seattle. If it was the last thing he could do for his father, then he would do it gladly. And that was a small source of comfort.

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**Well, that was nice and depressing. And long. Hopefully, there was enough description there so you could kind of see what was going on. Anyways, the song of the day is Open Wounds by Skillet, which I find strangely fitting. I really wanted a song called Australia, but alas, I couldn't find any that didn't drive me crazy. Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! One more thing, if you have any brilliant ideas for a girl's name, let me know! I'm thinking Haley...but what do you think?**


	3. She Will Be Loved

**Okay, so I'm going out of town for the weekend, and I thought I should update before then. This part is definitely longer than what I normally write, so I hope you enjoy it!**

**ShiaLover09: Hey, this should be full of all that you enjoy. Except maybe your favorite actor. Yeah, he's not in this part, but I hope you read it anyways:) **

**angel-prncess-18: Thanks for the review and the name suggestion. Funny thing...I had an uncle named Aubrey. I will keep it in mind because I do have more characters to bring in...**

**Disclaimer: The show is not mine.**

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Chapter 3 – She Will Be Loved

He must be completely crazy. There was no other way he would travel halfway across the world to find a girl he didn't want to find for a father he previously couldn't stand. Of course, he had left his cell phone back in Playa Linda, which was why he was standing in a claustrophobic phone booth with quarters piled around him. He dialed the house number and waited. On the other end, he heard the phone pick up. "Hello?" It was Nikki.

"Hey Nikki, I need to speak to Ava right away," he said.

"Oh, hi Jay, wait just a sec." The phone was put down, and he could hear her calling for Ava.

"Jay?" Ava's voice came on the line. "How are you and your mother doing?"

"Hey, we're doing okay. Listen, I'm going to be a little longer than I thought. Some unexpected business came up. How's Bradin handling running the store?"

"Johnny's helping out, which is good. Jay, is everything all right?" she sounded worried.

"Everything's fine, I'm just going to be back later than I expected." He hoped that his voice didn't give any of his emotions away.

"All right, Jay, I'll tell Bradin that he's still on full-time until you get back. About how long will you be?"

"I'm not sure," he answered. "I'll let you know. I'll keep in touch."

"Okay, Jay. Take care." She hung up. Jay pressed down on the receiver and proceeded to dial another number. The phone rang for several minutes before a woman's voice answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi, I was wondering if I could speak to Laura Bradley?" The woman on the other end paused.

"Who is this?"

"My name is Jay Robertson. I need to speak to Laura Bradley." He could hear her hesitate on the other end.

"I think it would be best if we met in person, Mr. Robertson. Do you know how to get here?" she asked. Jay recited the address from the paper he held hand. "Okay, how does 5:00 work for you?"

"That works for me."

"All right, I'll see you then." She hung up abruptly.

Jay placed the phone back on the hook, and gathering up the leftover change. He exited the phone booth. A steady drizzle greeted him, and he pulled his coat tightly around him. _And I thought it was summer…apparently everywhere else except Seattle._ The address was safe and dry in the inner pocket of his coat. Jay stepped under an awning to pull it out. He hailed a cab. If she expected him to get there on time, there was no way he would be walking a good thirty blocks in the pouring rain.

The taxi finally stopped in front of a neat, two-story house in a quiet neighborhood close to the U-District. Jay paid the driver before exiting the car. He stood for a moment, silently evaluating the house, as if it would tell him more about the woman he was about to meet. Car lined both sides of the street, and he had a sudden unsettled feeling come over him. He shook off the troubling sensation and mentally prepared himself to go up to the door. _All right, Jay, you can do this. You've come this far, it's too late to turn back now. Get yourself up to the door now before you lose your nerve._ He opened the small gate and took each step slowly, noticing the neatly trimmed lawn and carefully weeded flowerbeds. As he rang the doorbell, he noticed the house was a little shabbier than he had first thought. The paint was older and was peeling off of the dark blue shutters. Jay waited nervously and was about to ring the bell again when the door opened. An older woman stood there; she was much older than he had expected and was dressed all in black. "Are you Jay?" she asked without preamble.

"Yes," he answered.

"Well, come inside then," she stepped aside, allowing him to enter. The narrow entryway made it harder to take off his coat, but he managed to remove it. She took it without a word and hung it in the closet. He suddenly noticed that there were other voices besides his, which confused him.

"I'm sorry, am I interrupting anything?" he asked politely. The woman seemed to age even more. Her shoulders slumped as she turned to face him. He could see the pain and weariness plainly etched on her face.

"There are some people here, but before we go in there, I need to talk to you for a minute," she said.

"Okay," he said. Now, he was completely confused, but he followed her anyways into a small room that by the looks of it was a sitting room or something to that effect. She motioned for him to sit down in one of the few chairs, and she sat across from him. It was evident she had severe arthritis by the way she gingerly moved.

"I apologize for my rudeness, but there have been some trying circumstances lately. Before I continue, I should introduce myself. My name is Anne Bradley. I'm Laura's mother," she said. "And you are Jay Robertson. You look a lot like your father."

"Thank you," he managed to stammer. She knew his father? "I came here to find…to find out some things."

"I figured as much. In fact, I thought your father would come, but he didn't, I presume?" A strange light filled her eyes, making her look younger.

"No, I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. My father…he died…just a little less than two weeks ago," he said. The light immediately died. She looked old and defeated.

"I'm sorry for your loss.

"My sister," the words still sounded foreign to him. "What is her name? How is she?"

"Her name is Haley. She's a beautiful, amazing girl. You'll love her."

"And her mother?" At this question, the woman paused.

"I don't know how to tell you this…Laura died last week." Jay was stunned. He didn't know how to react, what to say.

"She's gone?"

"Yes, just last week. She had been ill with a cold, or so we thought. The doctor called it viral pneumonia. It was so sudden; we had no time to react," she shrugged slightly. "I'm so sorry to have to tell you this. Especially with your father's recent death. The funeral was today, which is why there are people in the other room."

"I am sorry for your loss." The words seemed painfully inadequate, but he didn't know what else to say. "How is Haley doing?"

"She's doing as well as can be expected. The two of them were very close, and this has been very hard on her," Anna said. "Haley doesn't know much about her father, but I don't think that it would be appropriate to mention it to her during this time."

"No, I couldn't do that to her. I would like to meet her, though." Even in the midst of all he was dealing with, he still felt terrible for this young girl who had lost so much.

"Mr. Robertson, there is one more thing I should say before we go into the other room," Anne looked steadily at him. "Six months ago, my daughter revised her will. Laura added a clause in it stating that your father be contacted in the event of her death. Apparently, she contacted him and gained his consent. Her wish was that Haley could meet her father, and after an allotted time, she could stay with him permanently if he chose to do so. I'll level with you now. I'm an older woman, and I won't be around much longer. My health is failing quickly. My daughter knew this, and we chose not to have me be Haley's guardian. That was to be your father's responsibility. However, we never expected Laura and your father to both die so suddenly." She chose to address the next part delicately. "Your name came up in the will. In the event of both parent's deaths, you now have the option of becoming Haley's guardian, should you wish to do so." She looked away, tears suddenly present. "I know that you didn't know about Haley, nor do you regard my daughter highly. But Haley is all I have left, and before I die, I want to know that she will be taken care of. I would love to keep her, but with the way things are, I don't have that much time."

"Then, it's serious?" he asked. Her silence was an affirmation.

"I know you'll need some time to consider this, but please, choose wisely." Jay felt as though he had been run over by a truck. _Her guardian? Me? She's got to be kidding! I'm not the right one to be in charge of a little girl. Ha, if she even knew me, she would have never even considered me. There's got to be a way out of this._ She handed him a sheaf of paper, which turned out to be the will. Sure enough, his name was mentioned in the clause.

"I need to think it over," he said, his insides churning. He gave her the will. "But in the meantime, could I meet her?"

"Yes, of course." Anne rose quickly as she could. "Follow me." She led the way into the living room, which was full of people milling around, quietly conversing. Jay had just recently experienced this setting and was by no means eager to encounter it again. Anne took him through the crowd to where a young girl sat on the lap of an older girl, playing with a stuffed bear. She was sidetracked by a guest and then disappeared. Jay was left awkwardly standing there.

"Are you Haley?" Jay asked, estimating the age of the girl to be between four or five years old. She looked at him with wide eyes and slowly shook her head. To his surprise, the older girl gently moved the other girl off her lap and stood. She whispered a few words into the little girl's ear. The girl nodded and ran into the other room.

"Actually, I'm Haley," she said, proffering a hand. Jay swallowed hard. He flushed red. He shook her hand.

"I'm Jay. I came here to visit your mother." As he spoke, he took a moment to analyze her. She was fairly small, probably less than five and a half feet tall. Her hair was a blondish-brown color, the same shade as his own, but hers was neatly pulled back. When he met her gaze, his breath caught. If there was any doubt about whether they were related, it was completely crushed. Her eyes were exactly the same as his father's. Smokey gray-blue with a hint of green towards the middle. His father's eyes had usually been full of some mischief when he wasn't angry, but hers were solemn and full of pain, with the weight of the world hidden in them. She blinked again, and when her eyes opened, they were now calm and reserved. This small glimpse into her personality was enough to convince him. The whole flight back to the U.S., he had tried to discredit her in some way. Maybe she wouldn't even talk to him. Perhaps the birth certificate was a fake. Maybe the woman was lying. Now, all of those thoughts rang false. Even if he had reservations about her mother and her role in his father's life, he could not deny that she needed someone, and he was the only one left. Those eyes now inspected him; she wondered why he was here.

"I thought someone might come," she said. "But I expected my father."

"Yeah…he wanted to be here. But he couldn't come."

_What is he thinking of me?_ Haley felt extremely nervous at meeting this strange man. _Well, he is my brother, after all. There's no doubt about that. We have the same hair. Not to mention, my mom didn't know any other people with Australian accents. Why is he here and not my father?_ As she studied his face, she realized what had happened. "He's dead, isn't he?" she asked, watching him struggle for the right words.

"Yes…he died about two weeks ago. A heart attack. He was ill for some time now."

"What's going to happen to me?" she asked, almost to herself, but he heard her.

"I don't know…I just don't know," he stumbled over his words. Strangely enough, she almost smiled at him.

"You weren't expecting me to be this old, were you?" There, she'd caught him.

"No, I thought you were going to be younger. Quite a bit younger," Jay admitted sheepishly. He didn't know what to do. Anne was nowhere to be seen; she was probably talking to another of the guests.

"Mom never talked about my father, but he must have had the same hair color," she said, noting the similarities between them. He self-consciously ran his fingers through his hair.

"A lot of people always said I looked like him," he said. _Of course, I didn't act anything like him, but that's not really the point._ He abruptly changed the subject. "I'm sorry about your mum," he said quietly. Her face fell, and she looked away from him. A complete transformation had taken place.

"Thank you." Her voice was barely above a whisper, and he felt a twinge of guilt. He knew better than to be insensitive with such delicate matters. "I'm sorry about our father, even if I never met him." Haley was suddenly very tired. After an entire day of well-wishers and talking to crowds of people, all she wanted to do was crawl into her bed, pull the covers over her head and wish the day away. But that couldn't be helped. _You've got to be the strong one. There's no room for crying. You're grown up now_ she told herself. Jay watched as several expressions crossed her face. He felt horrible for his earlier comment.

"Listen, I have something important I need to talk to you about, but I don't think this would be the best time and place to do so," he said. How was he going to breach this topic?

"People should be leaving soon. Can you wait here until then?" she asked.

"Of course," Jay answered. Anything to prolong what he was going to have to say to her. The time passed slowly for Jay, who really just wanted to say his piece and leave as quickly as possible. Finally, the last guest had left.

"If you don't mind the cold, we can go outside," Haley suggested. He nodded mutely. She took them back into the entryway where they pulled on their coats.

"Are you sure you need to go outside? It's chilly out." Anne cautioned.

"We'll be fine, Grandma," Haley answered. They slipped out the door, which she shut securely behind them. The rain had stopped, and a fine mist had taken its place.

"Your grandma cares about you," Jay said, trying to start a conversation.

"She worries about me," Haley replied. "Especially since my mom…."

"It was quite unexpected, then?"

"We didn't think she'd be the first one to go," she said quietly.

"Your grandma seems to be doing okay," Jay said. She gave him an indeterminable look, but said nothing.

"She doesn't tell me everything, but I know what's going on anyways," Haley stated calmly, belying the sickening feeling in her stomach. When would he just get it over with?

"Your grandma was talking to me earlier about…what's going to happen now," Jay said. _How am I supposed to tell this girl that her life's going to change forever?_

"Please, don't prolong the agony any longer," she said. "Just say it."

"Your mum changed the will, and our father is supposed to be your guardian," he blurted out. "But if something happened to him, I'm the next in line. You can come stay with me. A trial period of sorts."

"I'm not like a TV. You can't just try me out for ninety days and send me back if you don't like me," she said, her brow furrowed.

"No, it's not like that. I just…" He was at a loss for words.

"I'm sorry, I always say things before thinking," she apologized. "Please continue."

"If you want, you don't have to, you can come live with me. If you don't like it, I promise I will find a way to let you live with your grandma," he said. _I'm making all these promises. How will I be able to keep them? I need to talk to Ava. What's she going to say to me? I haven't talked to any of them about this! She's going to kill me…._

"You promise?" she asked. He was surprised. She didn't seem incredibly angry at the fact that he was about to turn her life upside down. Instead, there was an air of resignation about her.

"You have my word," he said. She just nodded. Then the first chink in her armor appeared.

"Did my grandma tell you to do this?"

"She just wants you to be happy," Jay said.

"She wants me to be taken care of," Haley corrected him.

"That too," he said. "You know, you don't have to do this. I can find a way to keep you here. Then you won't have to worry about your grandma."

"She wants me to do this. I'm not doing it for you. I'm doing it for her," she stated.

"I understand."

"I think I need a few days to get everything ready…."

"Of course. I need to get some of my own affairs together also." As Jay spoke, he knew it was the understatement of a lifetime. He hadn't even mentioned Haley to anyone back in California. _Hey everyone, I'm home! I've brought my long-lost sister here to live with us. So, what's for dinner?_ No, that was not what he had in mind. He only hoped they would understand, when he talked to them later that night.

"It's kind of cold, can we go back now?" she asked, jolting him out of his thoughts. They turned around.

After returning to the house, he immediately asked to use the phone. _Please let them be in a good mood._ The phone rang several times before someone picked up. It was Johnny. "Hey, it's me," Jay said.

"Jay? Where are you? Ava said you were going to be gone for awhile. What's up?"

"Well, some unexpected business came up. Is Ava there too? I need to talk to both of you."

"Sure, wait a sec." A minute later, they were both on the line.

"Hi Jay, what's going on? Where are you?" Ava asked.

"I'm in Seattle. I'll explain everything when I get back, but…" he paused. How was he going to say this? "My father had some surprises for me."

"Like what?" Johnny asked. It wasn't like Jay to be so hesitant.

"Like…the fact that I have a teenaged. half-sister whose mother just died and I'm her legal guardian kind of surprise," he said all in one sentence. There was dead silence on the other end. "Um, are you there?"

"Yeah, we're here," Ava said. She was still in shock over his statement.

"I need some advice. I mean, she does have another relative, a grandmother, but she chose to surrender custody."

"Can she not take care of her?" Johnny asked. Jay glanced around the room to make sure Haley was out of earshot.

"She's an older woman, and I think she is ill," he answered quietly. "What do I do?" He was desperate.

"What's she like? I mean, how do you know she's your sister?" This time Ava asked a question.

"She's kind of quiet, but very mature for her age. She has my hair color, we have similar smiles, and for goodness' sake, she has my father's eyes," he said. "Without a doubt, she is my sister."

"Bring her home," Ava said. Jay was so surprised that he almost dropped the phone.

"What?" he squeaked out.

"Remember when I was freaking out over what to do with three children who were now in my care? You offered to help me then, and now I'm offering to help you now," Ava said. "It's as simple as that. Bring her home. We'll help you."

"She's right, Jay," Johnny added. "You don't have to do this alone." Jay let out a huge sigh of relief.

"It's going to be a few days before we get back," he said. "I'll let you know when we leave."

"We'll get things ready here. Don't worry about it," Ava told him. "Talk to you soon." Jay placed the phone back into the cradle. _I cannot believe I'm doing this. What am I thinking?_ He was about to go back into the living room, when he overheard Haley talking to her grandmother, so he stopped and listened.

"You know I don't want to go. Why do I have to?"

"Haley, you know I can't take care of you. Your mother wanted this for you."

"He lives in California! When were you going to tell me that?" she almost wailed. "I don't want to live that far away." Jay inwardly winced at this comment. He felt a tiny inkling of guilt over eavesdropping but continued anyways.

"I think that living down there might be better for you." Anne said. "You haven't gotten to travel very often."

"I didn't really have a choice in that matter," Haley muttered. "I've got to go pack." She burst out into the hallway, where she almost ran into Jay. "Oh, hi," she said. There was an awkward silence. "Grandma's in there. She wants to talk to you." With that, she darted past him and upstairs. Jay went into the living room and sat down.

"I hope you know what you're getting into," Anne warned.

"Me too," he sighed. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"We'll get the legal issues taken care of on Monday."

The next few days went by in a whirlwind for Jay. One day, he was a carefree bachelor and the next, he was the legal guardian of one 17-year-old Haley Robertson. The legal process had gone much smoother than he had predicted. Perhaps, the entire transition would go well. Somehow, he had managed to secure two plane tickets for that Thursday morning, and soon they would be heading home. The last few days in Seattle were spent trying to get to know his sister, which proved to be a daunting task since she was busy packing. He decided that there would be time when they got back to California.

Before Haley knew it, they were at the airport, and it was time to say good-bye. Haley hadn't spoken much that morning, but there was so much she wanted to say. How does one go about saying good-bye…maybe forever? She wouldn't cry at the airport. No, she'd already decided that. But when it came time to go into the terminal, she couldn't look her grandma in the eye, for fear she'd lose it. Anne was having trouble of her own keeping her emotions in check. There was only time for a hug and a few words. "I love you. Don't you forget it," Anne said, her voice husky. She hugged the young girl tightly.

"I love you. Always and forever," Haley answered. They had done this little routine since she was a small child. It was a little bit of a comfort. She reluctantly pulled away.

"You be sure and get a good doctor down there. Heaven knows what the medical profession is like down there." Anne said. "And be safe. Don't talk to strangers." Haley cracked a tiny smile. Her grandma was still the same.

"Don't worry, I'll call when I get down there."

"If anything…happens, let me know." They passed a guarded look between them.

"I'll be careful," Haley promised. She looked over and saw Jay waiting patiently. It was time to go. One last hug, and then they headed down the corridor. She craned her neck to see her grandma waving farewell behind them. "Bye Grandma…I love you," she whispered. And for all of her earlier resolve, she couldn't help her voice catching on the last word. Jay noticed her hesitation and reached out to gently squeeze her hand. It was just a small gesture, but enough to let her know that he cared.

After a little over two hours and one stop, the plane landed at the Playa Linda airport. Haley was always glad to disembark as soon as possible. She disliked the claustrophobic feeling of being surrounded by so many people in such a small space. Jay was growing more excited as they headed down the terminal. After being away for a few weeks, he was ready for things to be normal again. Or as normal as life could be considering the circumstances. He spotted Johnny waiting by the gate. "Hey, how was your flight?" Johnny asked. He shook hands with Haley. "Hi, I'm Johnny Durant. I'm one of Jay's roommates." Haley gave Jay an incredulous look. He had never really mentioned anyone else.

"It's nice to meet you, Johnny," she said politely. Johnny offered to take her second suitcase, which she surrendered gladly.

"Now, Jay, the rest of the fam wanted to come, but Ava and I thought it would be better to not overwhelm Haley, so they're waiting at the house ready to throw a welcome party. Not that it will be any less pressure," Johnny said sarcastically. "How are you doing?" he asked in a lower voice.

"Okay. It's just been a bit…hectic lately," Jay answered truthfully.

"Don't worry, we're all here to help you out now."

"Jay?" Haley tapped on his shoulder. "Am I living with more than just you two?" Johnny and Jay exchanged looks.

"Well, yes," Jay mentally kicked himself. How had he managed to skip over that fact? "I live with Johnny, his girlfriend Ava, another friend Susannah, and Ava's niece and two nephews. It's a crazy house, but we manage somehow. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. My mind's one big jumble right now."

"It's okay," she said out loud while inwardly trying not to cringe. With her and Jay that made…eight people? _I've been living with just Mom and Grandma for a few years now. This could be interesting…._ "What are their names?" she asked again.

"Oh, the kids? The oldest is Bradin, then Nikki and Derrick," Johnny said. "They're great kids. You'll like them. In fact, I think you have a lot in common." Thinking he said Brandon, she spoke up again.

"Are any of them my age?"

"Bradin and you will are both seniors this year, Nikki's about 13 or so, and Derrick is 9," he answered. As soon as he said the first name, she became very quiet, but the two men didn't notice. They arrived at the car and loaded in the luggage before getting in. The drive home was quiet, but before she knew it, they had arrived in front of a nice house right by the beach. Her heart was beginning to speed up. _What if they don't like me? I hope they like me. Maybe I won't fit in. They could hate me. Then what will I do? What if…no…that name is too common._ She got out of the car, tugging one suitcase out with her. There was a group of people standing out on the sidewalk in front of the house. Haley swallowed hard. This was it. Jay guided her over to them. She cautiously scanned the faces in front of her. She stopped suddenly. _No way…it can't be._Recognition flared in both of their faces. The one person she never hoped to see again was standing right there.

"Bradin?" she asked in disbelief. No, this _definitely_ could not be happening.

* * *

**All right, that's all I could come up with for now. Hopefully, there's enough crazy stuff to entertain you all. Thanks for reading! I'd love to know what you think of it so far!**

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	4. Home

**Hey, sorry this took so long! School starts tomorrow, so I've been trying to cram in everything and more before then.**

**ShiaLover09: Okay, I'll ignore the Marlene part...it was kind of confusing. I know how much you like the secret past stuff, but it's going to take awhile for them to actually talk to each other. And yes, Jay is being a nice guy this time, isn't he? On a side note...your movie comes out on Friday:)**

**angel-prncess-18: Yeah, I decided to go for the shock factor on that last part. But what's even better is that there are a lot more surprises to come! Well, I'm excited about that, at least. Oh, I'm throwing in different hints about what happened. Keep your eyes open for those!**

**6Ellie6: Hey! Nice to see you again! Yep, I have a new story...just couldn't stay away that long. Yes, they do know each other. You'll find out how...soon.**

**Disclaimer: Yes, I own the show...I sold it for college tuition. Just kidding!**

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Chapter 4 - Home

Bradin stood there in stunned silence. Surely this was a dream…no, a nightmare. He blinked a few times, but she was still there, standing right there in front of him. "Haley…you're Jay's sister?" He felt a sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach. Nikki and Derrick both had few recollections of her, but they definitely knew who she was, and they moved closer to Bradin, as if to shield him.

Haley had the sudden urge to turn around, run back into the car, and demand to be taken back to the airport. It had been a good 4 years since they'd seen each other, and in her opinion, never seeing him again would be too soon. The memories of that year hit her so fiercely that she unconsciously backed away from him. Jay came up next to her and immediately noticed the look of mingled horror and anger on her face. He then saw that Bradin's face sported a similar expression of suspicion and something else he couldn't define. Nikki looked almost angry, her jaw jutting out, while Derrick was mildly confused at the tension. "Okay, what's going on?" Jay asked. When neither teen responded, he spoke again. "Hello? Will one of you please answer me?"

"We've…met before," Haley said. "A long time ago." Jay stared at the two of them.

"What?"

"I haven't always lived in Seattle. Several years of my life were spent in…Kansas," she answered haltingly. The pieces were beginning to fall into place for Jay.

"And I take it that you guys weren't fond of each other," he stated. Bradin looked at him as if he couldn't be more obvious.

"Can we not talk about this now?" Haley asked in a small voice. She felt close to tears. The stress of the past few weeks were catching up to her, and this surprise was enough to bring her to the breaking point. "It's in the past. We're older now. We can handle this, right?" She looked pointedly at Bradin, who managed to nod slowly, his jaw clenched tightly. Ava and Johnny chose to enter the conversation at that moment, which saved them from further conversation.

"Now that you guys have met each other, are we just going to stand out here all day or what?" Ava asked brightly. "Haley, it's a pleasure to meet you." Her words broke through Haley's thoughts, bringing her back to the present. She forced herself to smile.

"It's nice to meet you too. Thank you so much for letting me stay here." The last statement was kind of a question. _Where am I going to stay? Hopefully, it will be as far away from…him, as possible._ She looked at Jay for direction. He felt a brief moment of panic. There had been no time for him to plan for a room for her.

"Actually, we switched some things around in the house and where Jay stays, so you have a choice on where you want to stay," Johnny announced, grinning at Jay, who smiled weakly at him. "Ava used to have her business upstairs, which has now been converted into a bedroom, or there's Jay's 'bachelor pad' that has the potential to be slightly altered so there are two rooms out there. So, it depends on whether you'd like to be in the house, or out closer to where Jay is."

"The upstairs is fairly private, which would give you more privacy than if you were back-to-back with Jay's room," Ava said, winking at Jay, who only scowled at her.

"The upstairs room…does the door lock?" Haley asked. They could look at her strangely for all she cared, but if she would be living in the same house as him, there needed to be a barrier of some sort.

"Actually, there is, but we do knock before entering, so it's never really used. But there is one," Johnny said.

"We've been talking about it so much, we could just show you," Ava laughed. "Come this way." Haley slowly followed her into the house, the rest of the family trickling in behind her. They walked two sets of stairs before finally coming to a closed door, which Ava threw open in dramatic fashion. "Ta da!" The room was well-lit and airy, with a hardwood floor and boarded walls. The far window faced the front of the house, and underneath it was a full-sized bed already furnished. There was a makeshift closet under one of the eaves. A desk and dresser completed the ensemble. Haley felt very comfortable in the room. It had a quiet feel that was appealing to her, a place where she could grow to call home. "What do you think?" Ava asked.

"I love it," she answered softly. "It's beautiful." Jay set her second suitcase by the bed.

"Okay then, it's yours," he said. "I was kind of hoping you'd choose to live out with me," he teased, but the joke was lost on Haley, who immediately turned red.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I can go out there if you want me to," she stammered. Jay saw that his comment had embarrassed her, and he was quick to apologize.

"I'm sorry, I was just joking. But if you ever want to change, then we can work something out," he said seriously. She nodded at him. Jay felt himself sigh. This parenting/brotherly arrangement was harder than it looked. Later, he'd have to tell Ava she was a saint to be able to handle taking care of three kids. Either that or she was crazy. He only hoped that this thing between Haley and Bradin wasn't too serious, and they would be able to cohabitate. Bradin was a kind of son to him, and he'd hate for them to dislike each other. He shot a quick glance at Bradin, who still had a look of disquiet on his face. "We'll leave you to get unpacked and have a look around. The bathroom's just down the stairs and on the right." He began to usher the others out of the room and was about to leave when her voice stopped him.

"Thank you Jay for everything you've done," she said quietly.

"You're welcome. I hope that you enjoy living here," he answered, before gently closing the door behind him.

Haley sat on the bed and unlocked the first suitcase. She carefully unwrapped the picture frame lying on top and placed it on the dresser. It was one of the few photos of her mom and grandma, and it carried a special meaning for her. Clothes and other random accessories went into the dresser, with a small wooden box going into the top drawer. The second suitcase held an assortment of books and other random treasures. She paused before taking the last thing out, a worn manila envelope that she gazed at for a brief moment before tucking it into the wooden box. Haley went over and sprawled out on the bed. She stared at the sloping ceiling and tried to think about anything, anything but him. For the past few years, she had buried those memories deep inside herself, and now with his eponymous presence, each memory was slowly returning. _Why does he have to live here! Of all the places I could live, it had to be with him. Does he remember what happened? All those things….How am I going to be able to even look at him? I wonder if we're still the only ones who knows…what he did._ Haley squeezed her eyes tightly shut. She forced her mind to think about something, anything other than the fact that Bradin Westerly was just a room away.

Bradin lay on his bed staring blankly at the wall. Haley…of all the people Jay could be related to, he just so happened to be her brother. It had been years. So much time had passed since they had seen each other. But after what she had done, well, not exactly her, but she had been a part of the plan. He didn't hate her for what happened, he just didn't want anything to do with her. Even now, the memories were still bitter. He absentmindedly traced a small scar on his upper arm, one of the few that remained a daily reminder of what had happened. There was a knock at the door, and he rolled over to see who was entering. Jay came in slowly and walked over to stand by the bed. "Hey," he said.

"What's up?" Bradin asked, curious as to what had brought Jay here.

"Is everything all right, man? I mean, you looked a little uncomfortable out there," Jay asked. _Uncomfortable would be an understatement _Bradin thought.

"I was just a little surprised. I never expected her to be your sister," he answered.

"That's cool, isn't it?" Jay gave him a serious look. "I mean, she's my sister and all, but I don't want things to be tense between you two." Bradin recognized that Jay wanted some assurance that he wasn't going to do anything stupid.

"Don't worry about it. It's all in the past now, and we've both moved on," he told Jay, who breathed a deep sigh of relief. "We were just kids then." _Just kids with a huge secret._

"All right, I'll leave you alone then," Jay said, before making a quick exit. Bradin rolled over onto his back. How could life get so complicated so quickly? All this and his senior year hadn't even begun. _Haley…why'd you have to come here? Even though it's been years, it's still there…taunting me. Do you still remember? I know I do._

She awoke slowly, her eyes gritty from sleep. A moment of confusion hit her at unfamiliar surroundings, but reality brought her back with a jolt. She was no longer in Seattle, a cruel twist of fate had now brought her here. There was no longer a mother or grandmother to talk to or to just be together. Downstairs, there was a new household. A group of people who were trying their best to make her feel welcome. That thought was comforting. It was nice to be wanted. Even still, would this arrangement work out? She had never lived with so many people. There had always just been two of them until they had moved to Seattle. Now, seven other people were there to see her every move.

Jay felt slightly nervous as he stood outside Haley's door. After talking to Bradin, he still wasn't sure if this would work out. "Haley, can I come in?" he asked. At her answer, he went inside. The room already had a homey feeling, with everything unpacked and put in its place. "How do you like it so far?" he asked nonchalantly.

"It's a very nice room," she answered, her blue-gray eyes giving away none of her feelings. "I like this place and the people already. Don't worry, Jay, we were just surprised to see each other, that's all," she said, correctly interpreting the meaning of his visit. _That's exactly what Bradin said_ Jay mused silently. _Oh well, I shouldn't press the issue right now._

"Okay, I won't ask anymore, but if you ever want to talk," Jay stumbled over his words at this point. "I'm always available." Haley hid her smile. He was trying so hard to be a good brother that his efforts were a little excessive.

"Thank you," she answered, turning so he couldn't see that she was trying not to laugh.

"Oh, and dinner's almost ready, so just come downstairs in a few minutes." He gave her an encouraging smile and left her alone. She inspected herself in the mirror that hung above the dresser. Her hair had fallen out of its ponytail due to sleeping on the plane, but that was quickly fixed.

"Hello?" a small voice asked. Haley went over to the door and peeked out into the hall. There was a younger boy there. What was his name? Darin? Daniel? No wait, his name was Derrick. The last time she had seen him, he was 5 or 6 years old. Now, he was probably around ten years old. He sized her up with a solemn expression.

"Hi," she answered. "You're Derrick, right?" He just nodded.

"Are you coming down to eat?" he asked. "I was sent to get you." She followed him downstairs. "So, what happened to your parents?" he asked bluntly. Haley was so stunned, she didn't know what to say. "My parents died in a car accident. They were helping save people's lives."

"That's wonderful," she answered, then realized her mistake. "No, I mean it's nice that they helped people, not that they died."

"Did your parents die in a crash too?" he asked. They had now reached the dining room, where everyone clearly heard his last question. Haley's face turned a deep red. Her eyes darted to Jay, who was trying to figure out some way to change the subject.

"I didn't know my dad very well, but he died…of a heart attack. And my mom had pneumonia," she answered quietly. Everyone in the room shifted uncomfortably in their chairs. Finally, Ava spoke up.

"Derrick, it's not polite to ask those kind of questions, especially when you don't even know the person."

"Oh," he said. "I'm sorry, I wasn't trying to be rude." He sat down in one of the vacant chairs. Haley followed his lead and sat down next to Jay. The conversation turned to other everyday topics, until after several minutes a question was directed at her.

"Jay tells me you're a senior this year. Bradin is a senior also. Maybe you two will have a class together," Ava said. Haley smiled at her, but inwardly recoiled at the thought. "Are you going to apply to colleges this fall?"

"I'm hoping to go to community college for a couple years, transfer to a state school, then go to medical school at UW. University of Washington," she said.

"Oh, so you want to be a doctor?" Johnny asked. "What kind of doctor?"

"I'd like to study oncology," Haley said.

"Bradin, didn't you say you were interested in studying medicine?" Ava asked, looking directly at him while he tried to avoid her gaze.

"Maybe. I don't know," he mumbled. Haley stared at him. Back in middle school, he never seemed to be that interested in studying, especially not anything hard like the sciences.

"I'm sure you'll do just fine," Ava said before the conversations changed yet again. Bradin took that moment to steal a look at Haley. She definitely looked a little different than a few years ago. Gone were the metal braces, the bushy blond hair, and the acne. Instead, she was, well, normal looking. Her hair was long and cut into layers, so the thickness wasn't as evident. The braces had done their job, and her teeth were straight and even. Her skin was paler, and she looked even more ethereal than before. In fact, she was beautiful, he grudgingly admitted. Even more than when they had known each other. When they had actually been friends. Before unforeseen circumstances had changed everything. Bradin couldn't take it anymore; he jumped up from the table, mumbled an excuse about having to meet someone, and practically bolted from the room.

Jay had a suspicious feeling that his sudden exit was due to the new addition at the table but made no comment. Haley seemed to be doing okay; she looked a little sad, but that was to be expected. He himself was still trying to come to terms with the drastic turn his life had taken. But his situation seemed light when compared to the fact that Haley had just lost both parents, moved a thousand miles away from home, and was now living with a brother who hadn't wanted anything to do with her in the first place. He felt slightly guilty about that. Maybe, somehow, he would be able to make it up to her.

"Do you think the school will get my records in time?" Haley asked. What if she had to start all over again?

"I'm sure they will. We'll have to check on that tomorrow when we go get your schedule," Jay answered. It felt extremely weird to be saying these things instead of Ava. How many years had it been since he set foot in high school?

"If you need to check up on the business, I can go with Haley instead," Ava said.

"I'd like to do it," Jay said, a stubborn look crossing his face. Ava wisely acquiesced.

The rest of dinner progressed in the usual fashion, and Haley offered to help clean up, but Ava told her to just relax and enjoy the rest of the evening. She gingerly sat down on the couch and Nikki came and sat in the chair across from her. "So, what do you like to do?" Nikki asked, trying to atone for her earlier reaction.

"I like to read for the most part. Photography is fun, and I enjoy playing the piano," she answered.

"What's the beach like up there? Do people surf much in Washington?"

"It's a little cold for that. I didn't go to the beach too much. It rains quite a bit, and I didn't do much outside…" her voice trailed off.

"Well, Jay's one of the best surfers around, if you can get him to teach you. And Bradin's pretty good too. He competed for awhile and won several competitions," Nikki said proudly. "Maybe he'll give you a few tips." Haley smiled at the younger girl all the while thinking _I'll pass on that. Never again…._

"I'll think about it," she said before abruptly standing. The conversation was about to take a personal turn, and that was something she didn't want to discuss. "I've got some more things to get organized for tomorrow, but it was nice talking to you," she said sincerely.

"All right. Talk to you later," Nikki answered, watching Haley leave the room. She had seen Bradin and Haley's reactions earlier that day, and they both were hiding something. And she definitely wanted to know what that was. She would just have to keep her eyes and ears open.

As Haley climbed the stairs to her room, Bradin charged out of his, and they almost collided. "Whoops, sorry," he muttered. She stared after him as he continued downstairs and then went into her room, shutting the door firmly behind her. Haley opened the top dresser drawer, took out the manila envelope, and dumped its contents on the bed. She flipped through the papers until she reached the photos in the back. It was too much, and in a sudden rush of emotion, she shoved them off the bed, scattering them on the floor. She buried her face in the pillow. _How am I going to make it through this year?_ _You should just say something_ she told herself_. No…it's too late. You promised not to tell…and a promise is a promise, no matter what.  
_

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**Hope you enjoyed this part! The song of the title is Home...of course I have several different songs with that title, but Switchfoot's song is the one I listened to for this. Thanks for reading!**


	5. This Is Your Life

**I am so sorry it's taken so long to update. School's been so busy, along with studying, I now have a job, so it's pretty crazy.**

**ShiaLover09: You know me. I love a great mystery! Never doubt the minds of middle-schoolers. As the story progresses, you'll find out what happened then. I'll give you a hint: it's not what you expect. Don't you hate the not knowing?  
**

**angel-prncess-18: Keep an eye out for those hints! It's kind of fun, sticking them in the story here and there. As for her knowing about their parents. She'll find out even more in the next few chapters, which makes things complicated.  
**

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Enough said.**

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Chapter 5- This Is Your Life

The next morning when Haley peeked out the window, gray clouds covered the sky, and the landscape was bleak. She didn't really mind since it reminded her of Seattle. After a quick shower, she pulled on jeans and a dark green long-sleeved shirt. She made her way downstairs to where the rest of the sleepy household was slowly congregating.

Jay was sitting at the table, munching away at a bowl of cereal, while Ava, Susannah, and Johnny were hunched over steaming cups of coffee. "Have a seat," Jay said, pushing out a chair and motioning for her to sit down. "Are you hungry?"

"Cereal sounds good," she answered, yawning hugely. "If you tell me where things are, I can get it myself," she said hastily as he started to stand. Jay directed her to where the bowls and silverware was, and soon she was crunching corn flakes at the table. "So, what's the plan for today?" she asked, looking at Jay.

"Um, well, I need to go to my shop and work on inventory, but we also need to get you registered at school. And I have no idea how to do that," he admitted.

"Why don't I go along and help you?" Ava said. "I don't have any appointments today." Jay hesitated. He looked at Haley, whose impassive expression gave none of her feelings away.

"Sure," she shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me." He was immediately relieved by her answer.

"Okay then, it's settled. How about we leave in 15 minutes?" he asked. They both nodded at him.

"I just need to get my records," Haley told him. She placed her dishes in the sink and went back upstairs. Grabbing a folder off the desk, she pulled out the transcripts from her old schools. Her last school had been competitive, but she wondered if California would be different. What if classes were harder and she couldn't get good enough grades to get into medical school? Haley brushed away the troubling thoughts and concentrated on getting ready to go. She brushed her teeth and then took her regimen of pills from the bottles tucked inside the dresser, being careful not to miss a single one. Fifteen minutes later, they were in the car on their way to the high school.

As she stepped out of the car, Haley had the thought that the school looked remotely familiar to her school in Seattle, minus the trees and rain, of course. The buildings were modern and large, with a traditional touch. Ava led them into the administration building, where they waited to meet with a school counselor. Within minutes, the secretary led them into an office. A pleasant-looking, nicely dressed woman stood up from behind the desk and came over with hand outstretched. "My name is Diane Meyer. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Thank you," Jay spoke up. "This is my sister Haley, and a close friend, Ava Gregory." They exchanged pleasantries and then sat down to get to business. Mrs. Meyer took Haley's records and perused them for a long moment. Jay wondered what was taking her so long and jumped when she finally spoke.

"These grades look good. Very good. I must say I'm impressed with your records. It says here that you were an honor student last year," Mrs. Meyer said. "I do have a question for you. It also says that you missed a lot of school during your first two years of high school. Do you have a reason?"

"Family issues," Haley said, hoping that was a good enough answer. "My grandma was sick. I had to skip school for awhile to help out. But I did do all my homework and was still the top of my class," she added hopefully.

"About your classes, I think that you would do very well in our AP classes that are offered," Mrs. Meyer scribbled on a sheet of paper for a few minutes. "How does AP English, chemistry, biology physics, and calculus sound to you?"

"I like it. Is there any way I can do Spanish too? It's one of my favorite classes," Haley said.

"Of course," she answered. "Your transcripts are some of the best I've ever seen. I think you can easily handle the course load here."

"Do you think you want to do this?" Jay asked doubtfully. "It sounds awfully tough."

"If it gets too hard, then I'll drop a class," Haley told him. "I know my limits, and if I want to get through med school before I'm 30, then I need to get a head start."

"As long as you're sure," Ava said. "Then I don't see why you shouldn't go for it." Haley smiled gratefully at her.

"Then it's settled?" Mrs. Meyer asked. "Okay, then all we have left to do is have you, Mr. Robertson, sign this paperwork. It's all of the legal technicalities that come with enrolling a student."

"I always wondered if anyone in my family would wind up with the brains," he mumbled as he scribbled his name several times across the page. "And it looks like that person is you." Haley didn't know whether it was a compliment or not, but she chose to let the comment pass.

"Welcome to Playa Linda High," Mrs. Meyer said, shaking her hand. "We're happy you're here." Haley smiled at the woman, all the while wondering if she was doing the right thing.

"Is there anything you need for school?" Ava asked as they walked back to the car. Haley thought for a minute before shaking her head.

"My…mom and I, we did all the back-to-school shopping a few weeks ago. I think I only need the books for my classes, and I'll get those at school, right?"

"Right," Jay said absentmindedly. His mind was on the condition of his shop, which he still hadn't seen yet. "Do you mind dropping me off at the shop on the way back?" he asked. "Haley, I'm sorry I won't be around for most of the day. Is that all right?"

"Yeah, I don't think I'll be doing to much anyways," she said. Ava took a turn down a different street, which led to the shop. Jay got out of the car and waved good-bye to the pair, before unlocking the door walking inside. He inhaled deeply, the peculiar odors of wax, wood, and other materials mixing together in his nostrils. It had been far too long since he'd been here. The shop appeared to be in good condition. All of the boards and supplies were neatly arranged. The order book was up to date, and everything seemed to be just as he'd left it. He'd have to mention to Bradin what a good job he'd done. Maybe he'd even give the teen a raise. Ha, who was he kidding? He didn't even have the money to live on his own. The jingling door jolted him from his thoughts, and he looked up to see who had come in.

"Erika," he said, somewhat awkwardly.

"Hi Jay," she said, shifting nervously almost as if she didn't know where to start. "I'm sorry about your dad." He looked away from her knowing gaze. She always had known what he was thinking, and this time, he didn't want her to see his thoughts.

"Thank you," he answered.

"I heard something about you having a sister. Do you?"

"Yeah, it is. Her name's Haley. It's kind of a long story…" his voice trailed off.

"You don't have to tell me anything. I just wanted to know how you were doing," Erika looked at him. He hated how she could see right through him.

"I'm doing okay." It wasn't the complete truth, but it was all he wanted to say. She half smiled.

"Well, I've got to get back to work, but if you ever need to talk, just give me a call." She squeezed his hand briefly before turning and walking out of the door. Jay took a deep breath and leaned on the counter. He still felt like he barely had his head above water. How much more would he be able to handle?

Haley felt slightly uncomfortable riding in the car with Ava, who had some errands to run. Ava noticed and tried to put the girl at ease. "Playa Linda is a nice place to live, of course, it's not as large as Seattle, and we don't get near the amount of rain. It's definitely a tourist town, but all of the locals are really friendly. I think you'll like living here."

"Do you work here in town?" Haley asked curiously. She could vaguely remember someone mentioning Ava's job, but she couldn't bring it to mind.

"I own my own clothing line. In fact, we've recently expanded all the way to Europe," she said. Haley was clearly impressed, not that she knew much about fashion, but Ava seemed quite different from her impression of fashion designers. "Susannah is my business partner, and Johnny owns a restaurant right by Jay's shop." Ava had a sudden thought. "Why don't we stop by the restaurant for lunch? Then you can see a little bit more of Playa Linda."

"Sure, that would be nice," Haley agreed. She was curious to see Jay's shop. Her mother had mentioned him maybe once, but her father had been such a good surfer that she was sure Jay was the same way. Ava parked the car, and they walked down the sidewalk towards the main streets. Soon, they stood in front of a nice-looking restaurant, whose sign read Mona's Sandbar. "Who's Mona?" Haley asked. No one had ever mentioned that name to her.

"Mona was Johnny's fiancée business partner. She died and left her share of the restaurant to him. He named the restaurant in her memory," Ava explained.

"Oh, I see," Haley said in a small voice. A sudden lump filled her throat. They entered the restaurant and were greeted by none other than Johnny himself.

"Hey, how was the school?" he asked.

"We're all set," Ava told him. "And we were wondering if you had a table open for two hungry women?" He led them to a nice table by the window and left them there. They studied the menus for a few moments before a waitress came over to take their order. "Hi Erika," Ava greeted the girl. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing good, Ava, how are you?" Erika asked.

"We're doing pretty good. This is Haley, Jay's sister." Haley smiled at Erika, who returned the gesture.

"It's nice to meet you, Haley. Jay's a good friend of mine." Erika winked at her. "If you ever need help keeping him in line, I'll be glad to help you." Another customer diverted her attention. "Oh, I'd better get going. Mr. Henderson is here again. Honestly, that man proposes to me at least once a week." She took their orders and hurried to the next table, where an elderly man smiled and waved energetically at her. Ava turned back to Haley, who was gazing out the window towards the street.

"What do you think of the place?"

"It's very nice. Johnny did this all himself"

"Yep, it's been a dream of his for awhile now."

"He sounds like a nice man," Haley commented.

"He is," Ava said happily. "It's amazing to find the right one, someone so perfect for you." She could have gone on, but noticed the other girl looked thoughtful and rather sad. Their orders came, and they fell into a comfortable silence while eating. Johnny and Erika came over to check on them several times throughout the meal. When they rose to leave, Haley felt less discontented than before. She and Ava strolled down the sidewalk to Jay's shop. His sandy blond head was hunched over a slew of papers and inventory sheets.

"Hi," he greeted them, briefly looking up. "What are you up to?"

"We just had lunch at the restaurant and thought we'd stop by to say hi. How did Bradin do while you were gone?"

"He did surprisingly well. I'm impressed."

"He'll be glad to hear that," Ava laughed. "I think he was really ready for you to come back about 2 weeks ago." She happened to glance at her watch. "Oh no. I need to go home and then get to the office. Susannah had some prints she wanted to show me. Haley, are you ready to go?" Haley had been observing the odd collection of surfboards, skateboards, and other random items that filled the room. She nodded at Ava.

"Will you be home later, Jay?" she asked hopefully.  
"I'll be back around 7," he told her, waving good-bye.

Ava quickly drove back to the house and rushed around gathering her things before leaving the house again. Haley trudged to her room and lay down again. Even though she had slept for several hours, she still felt tired. Everything was still so different and new. The climate was much warmer than in Seattle, and she felt drained. Haley got up, changed into cooler clothes, and went downstairs. She stepped out onto the back deck and stared at the ocean that lay before her. People swarmed the beach, and there were many surfers out on the waves. Haley cautiously made her way down to the sand and stood there watching the surfers. They cut through the waves so gracefully, and she was mesmerized by their agility and talent. She had never set foot on a surfboard, probably due to her mother's over-protectiveness. Either way, she wasn't sure if the sport was for her. Haley watched as one of the surfers lazily sauntered her direction. It was Bradin, and when he saw her, his expression changed completely. She flushed at the change. "Hi," he said warily, his voice catching her off guard. She couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze.

"Hey," she mumbled in return, suddenly feeling shy. "You looked really good," she added awkwardly.

"Thanks," he said. She stole a glance at him. He really hadn't changed all that much. Aside from growing several inches and filling out some, he looked almost the same to her. His eyes were green as ever, the first thing that had caught her attention all those years ago. As they stood there, staring at each other, it was almost as if he could see right into her. She looked away from him, effectively cutting off contact. In return, his face closed off, and they were left there, two strangers standing on the beach. "Well, I need to get back to the house, I've got plans," he said, brushing past her. She nodded numbly and followed him back up to the house. Her head began to throb dully, and she went upstairs and curled up on the bed. She closed her eyes. Through the walls, she could hear Bradin banging around in his room, and then he left the house. Haley crept over to the window and watched him stroll down the sidewalk. Even after all this time, the memories returned every time she saw him. She shivered, suddenly feeling quite alone. The longing to go home was overwhelming. But that couldn't be helped. She was here now, and there was nothing she could do to change the fact.

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**Well, there you go! This part is more of a filler, but things will be getting quite interesting in the next few chapters. It's not quite as long either, but hopefully, it'll keep you entertained. Thanks for reading!  
**


	6. Why Can't We Be Friends?

**Hey, well, it's been a long time since I actually updated anything. But, if anyone's still reading, I hope you enjoy this! As a disclaimer: I don't own a thing, except for my own characters and plots.**

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The final day before school began had finally arrived. Haley had spent all of her time trying to keep away from Bradin and had succeeded quite well. She was immersed in a book, when the phone rang. A rare smile broke across her face when she saw the number. "Hi Grandma!" she said excitedly.

"Hi honey. How are you doing?" Anne asked.

"I'm doing okay," Haley answered. "It's been kind of hard getting used to everything, especially the weather. It's so hot here, and it never rains! How are things at home?"

"Everything's okay here. Lucy is going to come over twice a week and help me around the house." Anne said, referring to their next-door neighbor. "So, tell me more about this family you're living with." Haley suddenly felt uneasy. Her grandma didn't know about before. Her mom had never told anyone.

"They're all really nice. There's Ava and her boyfriend Johnny, their friend, Susannah, and then Ava's niece and nephews are living here also. It makes the house kind of full, but I think it will be interesting."  
"All of you are living in the same house?" Anne asked. Haley could tell by the tone of her voice that she was slightly worried.

"Don't worry, Grandma, everyone fits just fine. I even have my own room! It's on the top floor, and it has a nice view of the driveway," she added dryly. "The house is located right on the beach, and it definitely doesn't look as rocky as the Sound."

"Why are her niece and nephews living with her?" Anne asked curiously. Haley's breath caught.

"There was some kind of an accident. I don't really know the details, but they have been living here for a couple years, I guess…" her voice trailed off.

"Maybe you'll have something in common. What are their ages?"

"Bradin is 17, Nikki is 15, and Derrick is 11, I think. I'm probably a little off."

"This boy, he's about your age then," her grandma said thoughtfully. Haley sighed. Anne always managed to pick up on these things. She didn't want her grandma to connect the names. "Didn't you know a Bradin back when you were in middle school?"

"Yeah, I guess I did." She hoped there was enough indifference in her voice to keep her grandma from asking further questions. The tactic worked.

"Well, I'm glad that things are going well. Are you taking your vitamins?" Anne asked.

"Yes, I couldn't possibly miss out on my daily calcium. School starts tomorrow, so I'll have plenty to keep me busy," Haley answered.

"Good," her grandma sounded happy. "Listen, I've got to go to my appointment, but I wanted to check in first. Have a great first day of school, okay?"

"It's the last first day of high school for me. What could be better than that?"

"I don't know," Anne chuckled. "Maybe the next 60 years after you graduate?"

"Maybe. I'll let you go then. Bye, I love you!"

"Always and forever," Anne answered before hanging up the phone. Haley flipped the phone shut and tossed it on the bed. She suddenly felt thirsty and headed downstairs to find some water. To her dismay, Bradin apparently had the same idea. He was standing in the kitchen, a glass of juice in his hand. A brief look of dismay crossed his face.

"Hi," Haley said awkwardly. She shifted from one foot to the other nervously.

"Hi," he answered. The silence between them was thick. She absentmindedly began playing with a lock of hair, the glass of water forgotten. Why was he staring at her? Had she suddenly sprouted two heads?

"Um, is there something wrong?" she asked. He immediately snapped out of his trance-like state.

"Oh, no, sorry," he muttered, shaking his head slowly. "I was just thinking…." They stood there for another minute. "So, are you excited for school to start tomorrow?" he asked, fumbling his words.

"Kind of. I mean, it's my last year and all, which means all the standardized tests and college applications. Plus, I'm starting all over…again."

"The school here is pretty nice." Bradin tried to sound reassuring. "Kids are mostly friendly. You just have to stick with the right people. Where do you want to got to college?"

"I'd love to go to UW, that's University of Washington. They have an amazing medical school there. Best in the country," she said. "But it might be cheaper to do my undergrad somewhere cheaper. I won't be a Washington resident anymore, which means it will cost more. Loma Linda is another good university, and it's in California. What about you?" Haley asked. Once upon a time, he'd wanted to do something medical related. She had no idea what he wanted to do anymore.

"I don't know," Bradin admitted. "I haven't thought about it too much. Surfing has been the biggest thing in my mind, but that doesn't last forever, or so my aunt says. Other than that, I don't have a clue. I guess we'll see when the year ends."

"How long have you lived here?" she asked, hoping the question wasn't too intrusive.

"It's been a little less than a year and a half," Nikki said, causing both of them to jump. They hadn't heard her enter the room.

"It seems…a lot longer than that," Bradin said in a tight voice. He and Nikki shared a brief look that was not unnoticed by Haley.

"I'm sorry," the words slipped from her mouth.

"Why are you saying that?" Bradin asked. "Don't pity us. It's not like you would understand." As soon as he said the words, he felt ashamed at the astonished look on her face. When it came to her, he always seemed to say the wrong thing.

"I didn't…I didn't mean for it to sound that way," she stammered, mentally kicking herself. Why did she always say the wrong thing? "Um, I'm sorry...about being sorry. I'd better finish getting my stuff ready for tomorrow." Haley bolted from the room, her face bright red. She flew up the stairs into her room, shutting the door behind her. This was too hard. Way too complicated. How in the world was she supposed to live under the same roof as that infuriating boy? A pounding headache began to form behind her eyes. She rubbed her head with one hand. If this was going to be a common occurrence, then the next year would be very long, indeed. A sudden wave of homesickness hit her. Her family and friends seemed so very far away. The closest person to talk to would be Jay, but she didn't want to bother him. After all, she hadn't exactly been the most welcome surprise. Haley rummaged through a dresser drawer until she found what she was looking for, the small wooden box holding a worn manila envelope. She dumped the envelope onto her bed, old pictures, letters and a sealed envelope scattering across the comforter. A noise on the stairs startled her. Hurriedly, she stuffed the contents back into the envelope, put the envelope into the box, and shoved it into the drawer. Then, Haley walked over to the door and opened it. No one was there. Apparently, even her imagination was running wild. She sighed softly and closed the door again, this time locking it. There was no point in getting the box out again. Looking at the past wouldn't do any good anyways. It wouldn't change anything that had already happened. She lay down on the bed, pulling the covers over her head. Maybe if she hid up here, tomorrow would never come.

* * *

Bradin watched as Haley left the room. He could feel Nikki's disapproving look burning holes into his head. "What?" he asked defensively.

"Was that really necessary?" Nikki asked. "I believe she was trying to make conversation, and you, brother dear, tried to bite her head off." She gave him an uncomfortable smile. "I think she of all people understands what it's like for us. A little over a year ago, that was us."

"I don't know why I did that," he admitted. "It just kind of popped out of my mouth. Man, I probably sounded like the most insensitive jerk on the planet."

"Well, I won't disagree with that," Nikki said. "But I understand, Bradin. Seems like it was just yesterday that it was my birthday and that we were celebrating in Kansas." Bradin couldn't meet her eyes. Even now, the pain welled up in him just as fresh as it was when the police had shown up at the door to inform him of his parents death. That memory would always be burned into his brain. And lately, the memories seemed to be even more intense. It was as if Haley's presence had brought along everything that he didn't want to remember. Haley. The girl frustrated him to the core for no apparent reason. Maybe it was just because of old memories, and maybe it was for some other reason entirely. He didn't want to dwell on it at the moment. Nikki was saying something, but he had no idea what she was talking about.

"I'm sorry, Nik, I'm totally not hearing what you're saying," he apologized.

"I was just saying that you could go talk to Haley. She didn't deserve what you said," Nikki told him.

"You're right, I'll try and talk to her." Bradin suddenly pulled Nikki into a hug. She was surprised but hugged him back. "Thank you," he said, pulling away. "You always seem to set me straight."

"What else are little sisters for?" she grinned at him. "I'm going to take a walk, so I'll see you later."

"Bye," he said, before heading for the stairs. He stopped right outside of Haley's room, his hand prepared to knock, but the home phone ringing stopped him. A stair creaked loudly under his foot as he turned to go back downstairs. Even when he deliberately tried to talk to her, something kept him from completing the task. The phone call turned out to be a wrong number for a dry cleaner's. Once again, he trudged upstairs. This time, he knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Haley asked. She sounded subdued.

"It's me, Bradin," he answered.

"What do you want?" she asked, still behind the closed door.

"Could I talk to you for a minute?" He could hear her fumbling with something.

"Ummm, could it wait or you can just say it through the door," she said. Bradin felt slightly odd carrying on a conversation through a locked door.

"Well, okay," he said. "I just came to apologize for what I said earlier. It was really stupid of me. I'm sorry." He waited for her answer.

"It's okay, I forgive you," she said, sounding weary. "I know you didn't really mean it."

"Thanks, Hales," he said, feeling both relief at her words, and surprise at the use of his old nickname for her. "Well, I guess…I'll see you later," he said.

"Okay." He took the stairs, two at a time, feeling remarkably lighthearted. Nikki was right after all. Making things right was better than just leaving everything alone.

* * *

Haley could hear him retreating on the stairs. She glared with annoyance at the tissues she held in her hand. Had she not had a stupid nosebleed, she would have actually had a decent conversation with him face to face. But no, her nose had to bleed and thus, they had another random conversation. At least he had apologized. It felt good to be on semi-speaking terms with Bradin again. She hadn't realized how much she had missed their friendship until recently. Maybe the next year wouldn't be so bad after all. The bleeding has stopped, and Haley unlocked the door and went into the bathroom to wash her hands. She turned off the light and almost ran into Bradin outside the door.

"Uh, hi," she said, trying to hide her surprise.

"Hey," he answered. "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"I'm fine, I just didn't expect to see you."

"Well, now that we're actually speaking to each other, do you want to come down to the beach with me? Nikki's already down there, and I thought it'd be nice to join her."

"Thanks, but I've got some things I need to get done."

"All right, have fun then," he said before leaving. Haley went back into her room. She really did want to go with him, but something inside kept her from saying yes. Haley turned on some music, trying to drown out the jumbled thoughts in her brain, before beginning to organize the school supplies on her desk. Maybe someday she would understand why she couldn't just be herself around him. She thought about that for a moment. Then again, maybe she didn't ever want to know.

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**Thanks for reading!**


	7. It's Over

**Well, here's another chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for my own characters.**

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Bright and early Monday morning, Jay hunched over the counter of his shop, papers and bills spread across the surface. This was definitely the least favorite part of his job, trying to figure out all the accounts. For the life of him, he could never make everything add up on the first try. The door signal rang, and he looked up to see a customer enter. The man walked up to the counter. Jay scooped up the pile of papers and unceremoniously dumped them on the back counter. He inwardly winced as all the papers mixed together, effectively negating all of his previous work. Turning around, he tried to smile. "What can I do for you today?"

"I was just wondering where the nearest gas station was," the man asked. Jay tried not to show his frustration.

"Drive around the corner, go for three blocks and there's one on the left."

"Thanks," the man answered before leaving. Jay watched him leave and then buried his head in his hands. The past two hours had just been wasted. He sighed heavily before beginning to sort through the bills. As he stacked receipts and tried to reorganize, his mind drifted away to the issue that had been plaguing his thoughts of late. When was she going to call him? _I miss you. So much. Please come see me._ This same stream of thoughts swirled through his head incessantly. The weird thing was that they were technically still dating. Although it was more of a formality than anything. They weren't speaking and at this rate, they would be talking again when Jay was eligible for Social Security. He had tried again to find her, but no one seemed to know where she had gone. The landlord still had no information, and her few friends had no clue what had happened to her. It was as if she had disappeared into thin air. Jay shook himself out of his reverie, realizing that he was clenching a handful of now-crinkled paper in his fist. _Where did I wrong? What did I do? I don't understand. Why did this happen to us?_ He felt slightly sick to his stomach. The last several weeks had been so crazy, so out of the ordinary, that he barely had time to catch his breath, much less think about anything. Just a short while ago, he had been in a good relationship with a baby on the way. Now, his girlfriend wasn't speaking to him, his father was dead, and there was a young, scared teenage girl under his care. He smiled wryly at the irony of it all. He, the carefree bachelor, was now the guardian of a sister he never know about, whom he barely even knew. _Not that she would even talk to you about anything. She doesn't even want to be here. I don't blame her, though. And then there's that history with Bradin. What exactly is it that they're hiding, anyways? Who am I kidding? Why did I even say that I could take care of a teenage girl? I can barely keep my own life together. And look how great of a job I'm doing _he thought sarcastically. _Haley and I don't even talk._ _Not that she would even trust me enough to talk to me. I'm not exactly father material._ _How did life get so complicated so fast?_ A noise startled him out of his thoughts, and he looked up to see Ava walking in. "Hey," he said with pleasure. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm just walking around trying to get some inspiration for the line," Ava said, smiling. "The kids started school today."

"Oh no," he groaned. "I told Haley I would come to see her off. And here I am doing paperwork." Ava gave him a reassuring pat.

"I wouldn't worry about her too much, Jay," she told him. "It's not as if she's going to her first day of kindergarten. She is a senior in high schoo after all."

"I know," Jay muttered. "I just don't know what to do." He looked away for a second, but Ava caught a glimpse of his face.

"I know? Jay, what is going on?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Jay Robertson, don't try lying to me. Trust me, it won't work." Ava said. "Why don't you close up shop, just for a little while and walk with me?"

"Ava, I don't think I should just leave here…" his voice trailed off as Ava gave him a look. "Okay, okay," he raised his hands in surrender. "I'll come. Let me put these papers away." The much-neglected papers were relegated to the back room, and soon, Ava and Jay were leisurely walking along the boardwalk.

"So, do you want to tell me what's going on?" Ava asked.

"I don't really think that this is any of your business," Jay said sharply, immediately regretting his tone. "Listen, I don't think that this is going to help."

"Jay, we're all living under the same roof. What affects one of us, affects all of us," she said gently.

"I know," he said slowly.

"She still hasn't called you, has she?" Ava guessed.

"No. Nothing. Not a word," Jay told her. He stopped at the railing, staring at the waves. "Everything got so mixed up so fast."

"Life is funny that way, isn't it? You went from preparing for a new family, to now having a new family, except not quite the one that you were expecting."

"I don't know how to relate to her. I mean, we've lived our whole lives apart, not knowing that we existed. And now, I've got to take care of her. All I am is a reminder of the guy who got her mom pregnant."

"Jay!" Ava exclaimed. "You're a good brother. It'll just take some time. When I got the news that I was going to be taking care of my sister's kids, I was shocked. But the past year has been amazing. It's been hard, but I'm enjoying it."

"But Ava, I'm not you. I'm no father figure"

"You've done great with Bradin and Derrick. And Johnny, Susannah, and I will be always be here to help you and give you all the unnecessary advice you don't want," Ava laughed. She stopped. "I can't even get a laugh out of you. This is really bothering you."

"Ava, I can't concentrate on anything. I spend all my time at the shop and I…" Jay felt his heart skip a beat when he saw a familiar face in the crowd. "Isabel," he breathed. Ava turned to see her walking down the sidewalk towards them.

"I think maybe I should leave," Ava said. "I'll catch up with you later tonight, okay?" Jay nodded, not taking his eyes off Isabel. He didn't even notice Ava slip away. All he could think about was the woman walking towards him.

"Isabel." His breath caught in his throat.

"Hi, Jay," Isabel said, her voice calm and controlled. Jay had to do everything not to pull her into his arms. He settled for folding his arms tightly across his chest.

"Hello," was all he could muster.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm doing well, for the most part. How…how have you been? And Danny?" He tried to keep his voice from sounding too desperate. All the things he wanted to say were threatening to spill out.

"I'm happy, Jay," she said. "Danny's doing well too."

"How did you find me.?" he asked.

"I saw you and Ava come out of the shop, and so I followed you."

"Where have you been, Isabel?"

"I've been trying to figure some things out," she said.

"And have you?" Jay was almost afraid to ask.

"I have, Jay," she said quietly. His heart sank. "I'm sorry, Jay. I can't."

"What do you mean?" He knew full well what she meant.

"Listen to me, Jay. I've been trying to make sense of everything that has happened recently, so I went away. Just so I could clear my head. And I've found out that this isn't going to work."

"But why?" His heart began to beat faster.

"I care about you very much, but I just don't think that this is meant to be. I thought that…after the accident, I thought that things would be okay. But it's not."

"Oh, really," Jay couldn't hide the bitterness in his voice. Isabel put a hand on his arm.

"It's not you at all. It's me who needs to change. But I can't. So, I wanted to come back let you know."

"Isabel." All the longing in his heart broke out.

"Jay, I'm sorry." She sounded apologetic, but firm.

"What are you going to do now?"

"Well, Danny and I will be staying with some friends for awhile."

"You won't be back then." It was more of a statement than a question. She couldn't meet his gaze.

"No." The words were final, the last nail in the proverbial coffin. "And I don't think we should keep in touch. At least not for awhile."

"Please don't do this," Jay pleaded, his voice starting to shake. "Are you sure?"

"I have to, Jay. I'm sorry." She gave him a sad smile. "I hope that things go well for you. Take care of yourself" He was speechless.

"You can't?" he asked one more time.

"I'm sorry," she repeated. "It's too late for that." Isabel stepped forward and hugged him, but abruptly pulled away. "Good-bye, Jay." She turned and walked away, without looking back. Jay watched her cut through the crowds, his breath leaving him in tiny little gasps. All he wanted was for Isabel to turn around. But she didn't, and he continued watching her until she was out of sight. Jay felt as though he was in a nightmare. All of the sudden, he had no idea what he was doing there. How had he ended up on the boardwalk? When was he going to wake up from this dream? Surely, she was joking. She would come back. Somehow, Jay managed to stumble back to the house, before crumbling onto the couch.

"Jay?" Ava's voice broke through the fog. "Jay? What happened?" She came to sit in front of him, grasping his hand.

"What's going on?" Susannah joined Ava. Her worried eyes traveled from Jay to Ava and back again. Ava silently mouthed "Isabel" to Susannah, who nodded knowingly.

"Isabel," he tried to speak, but words failed him. A lump caught in his throat. "She said it wouldn't work out. Ever."

"She said it's over?" Susannah asked. All he could do was nod slowly.

"I'm so sorry, Jay," Ava said.

"I am too," Susannah added.

"I can't believe it." Ava said. "The two of you were so close. Did she give any sort of an explanation? Anything at all?"

"No, not a good one. How could she do this to me?" His words were full of pain. "I care about her so much."

"Of course you do, Jay. We all could tell that you're crazy about her," Susannah said. "I don't understand why she'd do a thing like this. You two have been through so much together."

"The accident was hard on her," Jay said defensively. "She didn't know what else to do. Don't blame her. I should have listened more. Should have been more sensitive to what she was telling me. If only I would've stopped at that intersection."

"Don't blame yourself. There was nothing you could have done." Ava said soothingly. "Maybe she'll come around."

"It's not going to change," he moaned in disbelief. "I wish it would, but it's not going to. She doesn't want anything to do with me. They're leaving town. I don't know where they're going. She wants me to leave them alone."

"So that's it?" Susannah asked. "She's leaving and you're going to let her go?" Ava gave her a warning look.

"Susannah, this isn't helping matters." Jay held up a hand.

"Ava, it's okay. She's just trying to help. There's nothing anyone can do. I mean, the only thing that's left to say is the whole 'you're going to be okay and although it hurts right now, it'll get better.'"

"Well, do you believe that it will?"

"I don't know, Ava, I just don't know." Jay felt sick to his stomach. He lurched from his seat. "I gotta go. The shop…." Ava gently pushed him back on the couch.

"I don't think it would be a good idea for you to go back to the stop today. Take some time off," she suggested. Jay found himself nodding in agreement. Then he caught himself.

"I need to leave. To go clear my head," he muttered. Susannah made a move to keep him from rising, but stopped. Jay looked at both of them. "I'll be back in awhile. Don't tell the kids. I'll tell them sometime. And don't worry about me." He stumbled out the door and down the stairs to the beach. The farther away he got, the better. After some time, Jay found himself standing in a secluded cropping of rocks. A wave of emotions overwhelmed him and a sob broke out. He covered his face with one and wept.

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**Well, that's all for now! Thank you for reading.**


	8. This Time Around

**Well, here's another chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for my own characters.**

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**Earlier in the morning**

Haley heard a loud beeping noise right next to her ear. Her mind was fuzzy with sleep as she sleepily rolled over on the bed and hit the snooze button. Just as she was about to fall back asleep, the annoying alarm rang again. This time, she turned off the alarm, crawled out of bed and crept downstairs. She ran headfirst into Nikki, who was heading upstairs to her room. "Oops, sorry," Haley whispered.

"It's fine," Nikki smiled at her. "Aren't you excited? School's starting!"

"Yep, excited," she pasted a smile on her face. Excited to be fresh meat was more like it. Haley quietly crept down the stairs and turned on the shower. The blast of hot water in her face woke her up immediately. After another few minutes, she stepped out of the shower and toweled off. She wrapped the towel around her and tiptoed back to her room. Quickly, Haley threw on a light blue T-shirt and jeans. She brushed her hair and let it hang loosely down her back. Haley took a long hard look in the mirror. Her eyes looked reminiscent of a deer in the path of an oncoming car. _The perfect look for my first day in a new high school._ _They're going to know I'm new from a mile away._ _I guess this look is going to have to do._ With one more glance in the mirror, she picked up her new backpack and walked down to the almost-empty kitchen.

"Good morning! You're up early." Ava said, yawning sleepily from behind a cup of coffee. "Ready for your first day?"

"Good morning. Yeah, I think so. It's the last first day of high school. Can't get much better than that," Haley said, trying to sound convincing. She busied around in the kitchen and was soon munching contentedly on a piece of toast. "Where is everyone else?" she asked, looking around.

"They'll be up soon," Ava laughed. "No one else in the family is much of a morning person. Right about when I have to start knocking on doors, they'll come downstairs. Of course, Nikki is organizing all of her school supplies. Again." Haley laughed at that comment, considering it was true. They ate in silence for a few more minutes until true to her word, Nikki entered the kitchen, closely followed by Derrick, and then Bradin. Haley could feel herself stiffen at the sight of him.

"Morning!" Nikki sang out brightly. "Isn't it a beautiful day to start school? The weather is amazing. I'm now in high school, and this year is going to be amazing!"

"Why are you so excited?" Derrick said grumpily. "I can't wait for the year to end."

"Now, that's something I can agree with," Bradin said.

"And then there's college to look forward to," Nikki told him, giggling at his pained expression. "Four more years after high school. Maybe you'll enjoy this year more since you have four years to go after this?"

"You just let me know how it feels, when you get out of school at the age of 30, when you're a lawyer or something," Bradin smirked at her.

"So, what are you going to do? Be a surf bum?" Nikki said indignantly.

"Why not? I'll just live where Jay lives now," Bradin teased. "You can support me in my old age."

"Speaking of Jay, where is he?" Haley asked. Ava caught the uncertain look on her face.

"I think he's at his shop today. Something about inventory."

"Oh, okay." Haley felt uncomfortable under Ava's knowing eye, but she ignored it, finishing her last bite of toast and washing it down with the last of her glass of milk.

"He did say he'd be back tonight. We're going to have a back to school dinner tonight," Ava told her.

"That sounds like fun," she answered.

"Oh, guys, you're going to be late!" Ava exclaimed, finally noticing the clock. She began shooing them towards the door. Nikki and Derrick were halfway out the door with Bradin, before Ava called after them to remember their lunches. Haley grabbed the forgotten lunches before racing out the door.

"Thank you!" she called, hurrying outside to catch up with the others. Haley gave Derrick his food before hopping on the bus with the other two. She felt her face go red, when she realized all the seats were full. Quickly, she sat down on the nearest seat next to a girl about her own age, who just looked at her with disinterest before turning to look out the window. Haley chose to not to say anything. She tried to focus on the day ahead.

When the bus stopped, all of the kids piled off, heading to their respective classes. Haley felt slightly lost, but she determinedly took out her class schedule and went into the main building. Kids were milling all around her, and she fought through the crowds, until she found her locker. To her surprise and embarrassment, her locker combination wouldn't work. The door seemed to be stuck. "Oh, come on!" she muttered in frustration, banging on the door.

"Need some help?" a friendly voice asked. A tall, smiling girl stood next to her, watching her feeble attempts. She expertly spun the combination lock and hit the door on the bottom corner and the door popped open.

"Thanks," Haley muttered.

"No problem." The girl tucked a lock of brown hair behind her ear and stuck out a hand. "I'm Amelia."

"I'm Haley. It's nice to meet you," Haley said. "Thanks for the help."

"You must be new, huh?" Haley laughed self-consciously.

"I stick out that bad?"

"It was the locker. Everyone who's been here for the past year knows that locker is the one to avoid," Amelia explained.

"While you're helping out the poor new girl, could you point me in the direction of Room 279?" Haley asked. Amelia nodded and she led the way upstairs.

"We actually have one class in common. This is it." Haley stared in disbelief at classroom. Coming from a private high school had definitely been a shock. Amelia laughed at the look on her face.

"Welcome to Playa Linda High, new girl."

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After surviving AP English, calculus, and physics, Haley was ready for a break. The material didn't appear to be difficult, but the constant stares and whispers were starting to get to her.

"Seriously, you'd think I had two noses for all the looks I get," she complained to Amelia as they ate lunch outside.

"It's a big deal here. We don't get new people that often." Amelia said as she poked around at the nondescript mound of food on her tray. "I can see that the food hasn't changed much since last year."

"Looks…interesting," Haley said as truthfully as she could.

"So, new girl, what brings you to Playa Linda High?"

"Well, I'm staying here with my brother. His name is Jay. Jay Robertson."

"Seriously? He's well known around here. One of the best surfers around," Amelia said. "Your parents let you stay here for the whole year? Mine won't even let me stay out later than 10 on the weekends."

"My parents are dead," Haley said in a short voice. Just saying those words hurt. Amelia's eyes widened.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I just don't talk about it much," Haley tried to explain. The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

"I'm sorry, it's none of my business. Anyways, we'd better get going," Amelia swiftly changed the subject. "What's your next class?" Haley took out her schedule, quickly scanning it.

"Looks like chemistry," she replied, her attention diverted by the sight of Bradin laughing and talking with a group of guys. Amelia saw her gaze and connected the dots.

"Now I get it. Your brother lives with Bradin Westerly's aunt. What's it like living with him? From what I hear, he's quite the troublemaker," she laughed.

"You wouldn't believe the half of it," Haley mumbled under her breath, then spoke up. "Come on, we'll be late." They walked across the lawn and headed to the next building.

"I see we're splitting up here, so, I'll see you tomorrow?" Amelia asked. Haley nodded.

"Thanks for all your help."

"No problem. I'll see you later."

Haley watched Amelia cut through the crowd. She took a deep breath and headed into the classroom. The room was filled with lab benches all facing a whiteboard towards the front. She picked a seat near the front and set her books on the counter, then she sat down without looking around her. The bell rang again.

"Good afternoon class, I'm Mr. Novak, your illustrious chemistry teacher," said a tall man with black wire-rimmed glasses as he entered the room. "We have lots to do today, so I'm going to begin with calling attendance." He began reading off a list of names, pausing when he reached hers.

"Haley Robertson," he said, looking around the room. She slowly raised her hand.

"Welcome," he smiled at her. "You must be the new girl."

"Yeah," she said, flushing. Her being new must be the talk of the town. She stared down at the counter top, until the last name on the list caught her attention.

"Bradin Westerly." Her head shot up and she looked around the classroom, until her eyes fell on Bradin, who was sitting in the back righthand corner close to an old decrepit-looking service elevator. Their eyes met, and she looked away.

"Well, guys and girls, we have a long, fun year ahead of us, so why don't I start us off by going over class policies?" He began to talk and write on the whiteboard. Haley felt her spirits lift. The class sounded as though it was going to be fun, with lots of experiments. However, the amount of homework and assignments didn't sound like fun. Mr. Novak set them to filling out a worksheet while he figured out the seating arrangements for lab.

"All right, I've got the list of lab partners up here. You guys are in pairs of two, and if you have a problem with your partner, then come talk to me." Half the class immediately crowded around the board, each trying to see the list. Haley waited for a minute before scanning the list. Her jaw dropped when she saw the name written next to hers: _Bradin Westerly_. "Now that everyone's paired up, get together with your partner and start organizing your supplies. There should be a checklist at each workstation. Get to work." Bradin grudgingly picked up his books and dropped them with a clunk next to Haley. They exchanged disgruntled looks before pulling beakers, Erlynmeyer flasks, and other miscellaneous supplies out of the cupboard. Bradin was the first to make conversation.

"At least we'll get a good grade, since I'm partnered with the smartest girl in class." Haley didn't know whether that was a compliment or not, but decided to take it.

"Don't worry. I'll do my part," she told him.

"I didn't say you wouldn't. You're a good student."

"Thanks," she said, surprised at his comment. "I'm sure you're smart. I remember all your good grades back in Kansas."

"Well, things have changed since then," was all he said with finality. They fell silent again. Haley felt awkward, but didn't know what to say. For a brief moment, they had been like their old selves again. The rest of class was spent doing inventory and organizing the supplies neatly in their workstation. The bell finally rang, and Haley grabbed her things and hurried out the classroom as quickly as possible.

"Haley, wait," Bradin called after her. She stopped in her tracks.

"What?"

"Listen, if you want to switch partners," he offered, "I'll talk to Mr. Novak, and I'm sure he'll let us."

"Bradin, it's fine. We're both mature enough to not let what happened in the past affect us," she said.

"Okay, but the offer still stands."

"Thanks, but I think it'll be fine," she said, pushing past him.

"What class are you going to next?"

"Biology."

"Huh, that's funny, I have the same class too," his casual tone caught her off guard. "I'll just follow you." He grinned when she started off in the wrong direction. "Haley, it's this way." She blushed and followed him down the hall.

The biology classroom turned out to be almost identical to the chemistry one, except this one didn't have the elevator. This time, Haley sat to the side of Bradin. At least she knew someone, which made her feel better.

"Hello class," a deep voice announced from the door. Haley felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. That voice was so familiar. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Bradin flinch, which only confirmed her suspicions. _It can't be_. Haley watched at their new teacher walked into the room. It was Mr. Evans, one of their teachers from Kansas. She and Bradin exchanged looks, unspoken communication passing between them. Haley could feel a lump in the pit of her stomach. Mr. Evans followed the same formula as her other classes, taking attendance and assigning lab partners. When he called their names, he gave no indication that he knew them, but Haley was sure that she saw a flicker of recognition in his eyes. She scooted down a little farther in her seat, hoping that the class would go by quickly. This time when class was over, both she and Bradin almost ran for the door. Once outside in the hallway, they both began talking.

"It's him. He's here."

"Don't say anything," Bradin cautioned, guiding her down an empty hall.

"Bradin, what should we do?"

"Promise me that you won't tell anyone," he said. "It's the best thing."

"How is that the best thing to do?" she said incredulously.

"Haley, it's been such a long time. What else can we do?" he protested. Haley's shoulders slumped.

"I don't know."

"Promise me you won't say anything," he repeated. She hesitated.

"Okay, I promise."

"Good girl," he said, relief crossing his features.

"We should go. School is done for the day, anyways," Bradin said.

"One day down, 180 to go."

"Drop the countdown, let's go home.," he scowled jokingly at her. They walked out of the school into the bright sunlight.

When Haley entered the house, she knew at once that something was wrong. Ava and Johnny were sitting at the table, looking grave, while Susannah was pacing the floor. "What's wrong, Aunt Ava?" Bradin asked, his face full of concern.

"I don't want you to worry," she said, playing with handle of the cup of tea in her hands.

"And now that you've said that, I'm worried," he answered, dropping his backpack on the floor and throwing himself in a chair at the table. "Tell us, what's up?"

"Isabel was in town today," she said in a quiet voice.

"What? How's he doing?" Bradin asked. Haley looked from him to Ava and back. Their reactions worried her.

"What's going on? Who's Isabel?" Haley asked worriedly. Johnny motioned for her to sit down, which she did reluctantly.

"Isabel is Jay's girlfriend, former girlfriend now. They had some…conflicts. Isabel was pregnant but lost the baby in an accident that Jay feels responsible for."

"So, where's Jay?"

"I was talking to Jay today, and she found us down by the boardwalk. When I talked to Jay later, he told Susannah and me that she broke up for good. She also told him not to contact her anymore," Ava explained. "Jay left after that and hasn't returned." Haley held her breath.

"Why haven't you tried to find him?" she accused.

"Jay's a grown man. He'll return," Johnny answered.

"I'm going to find him," Haley said determinedly. Ava half-rose from the table.

"Haley, I don't think that's a good idea. He's be back soon. He just needs some time to work through things."

"I still want to find him," she said, rushing out the door. She ran down the beach, scanning the crowds for her brother. Finally, she spotted his familiar sandy-blond head by the jetty.

"Jay!" she yelled. His head turned, and he waited for her to catch up.

"What are you doing here?" he asked worriedly. "Is something wrong?" Haley took note of his bloodshot eyes and disheveled appearance.

"Everything's all right with me. What about you? How are you doing?" she asked, trying to hide her concern.

"You've been talking to Ava," he stated. "Come on, let's sit down." They sat on an outcropping of rocks. "So, tell me what you know."

"I know about you and Isabel, about the baby. Jay, I'm so sorry."

"I'll be okay, Haley." He ran a hand through his windblown hair.

"It's never that easy," she said knowingly.

"Spoken by a seventeen-year old girl," he smiled crookedly at her. "I've been around a while longer than you,"

"Sometimes, I feel like I'm fifty, not a senior in high school."

"You've got your whole life in front of you," Jay said. "I was all ready to settle down with her. To have a family."

"Maybe she'll change her mind."

"No, Haley, she's done."

"I may not have lived as long as you, but if she's not the right one for you, then the next one will be better," she said hopefully.

"Ah, the young ones always are so hopeful," he said sarcastically.

"What do we have left if we don't have hope?" she shot back.

"I don't know," he admitted, defeat covering his face. He ran his hand across the rough surface of the rock they sat on. "I just can't think straight right now. I just want to leave this town. Go somewhere far away from here." Haley felt her heart constrict. He wouldn't leave, would he? There was such pain on his face.

"Right after my mom died, I didn't know what to do. It was just me and my grandma, and as much as she tries to hide it, I know that she's really sick." Jay felt a stab pain at her words. Somehow, his circumstances were light in the face of what she was dealing with. Haley continued, "I was scared of being alone, but then you came. And I wasn't alone anymore. I don't want you to go."

"Don't worry about that. I'm not going anywhere," he smiled at her, brushing a stray strand of hair out of her face. "You and I, we're quite the odd family. But you don't need to worry. I won't be going anywhere until you're graduated from college at least. Got to keep an eye on all those college boys."

"I don't think that you'll need to worry about that," Haley laughed.

"Don't worry, I'm keeping an eye on Bradin too," he guessed correctly. A strange look crossed her face. "Is there something between you two that I should know about?"

"Jay, you'd trust me to tell if there was something wrong, wouldn't you?" she said in an even voice. He didn't even hesitate.

"Of course I would. I just had a feeling that there was something that you two were hiding."

"There's nothing," she said quickly. Jay wasn't so sure, but he didn't want to push the tenuous relationship that they had.

"I believe you," he said simply. Haley swallowed hard. She fiddled with a loose thread on her sleeve and shivered involuntarily. Jay saw her discomfort. "Maybe we should go back inside." He stood up and reached down to give her a hand up.

"Thanks, Jay," she said. He was about to speak when Nikki came running up.

"Oh good, I found you. Are you guys coming back to the house?" she asked. "We're going to have dinner soon. How are you doing, Jay?" she said all in one breath.

"I'm fine," he answered. "Thank you for asking. We'll be there in minute." Nikki smiled at him and then ran back down the beach.

"Haley, I want you to know that I'm not going anywhere. You can trust me," Jay said. "And I'll always try to be there for you. No matter what."

"Jay," she paused, as if she wanted to say something, but couldn't. "Thanks." He gave her a quick side hug, one of the few times they shared physical contact, and then they began to walk back to the house. Jay could tell something was bothering her, but he knew now that she would tell him if she needed help. He didn't want to push her, so he would wait until she felt comfortable to come to him.

"I'm glad you're here," he told her, feeling slightly awkward.

"I never thought I'd say it," she said so softly that he had to strain to hear her. "But I'm glad I'm here too."

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**And that's all for now. It's kind of a filler chapter, but I hope that you enjoyed it! **


	9. I've Always Loved You

**Here's another chapter! Hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my own characters and plot.**

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In light of Jay's situation, the usual back-to-school dinner was postponed until the weekend. On Saturday evening, the entire clan pitched in to carry armloads of gear down to the beach. While Jay was carrying various items, he noticed Ava or Johnny casually observing him. He pasted on a happy smile and joined in with the others in laughing and talking. As they sat around the table, the conversation turned to the events of the week. "So, how was everyone's week?" Ava asked. "Why don't we go around the table and say a few things that interested you this week? Derrick, we'll start with you."

"Well, I started school again. It's pretty cool, I guess. It's just school. There's more homework this year. I don't really like that," he said wrinkling his nose. "But Jay's taking me to the skate park tomorrow, so that'll be fun. We are going tomorrow, aren't we?"

"Sure thing, Derrick," Jay said, ruffling the boy's hair. "We've got all day." Derrick grinned excitedly.

"What about you, Nikki?" Derrick asked.

"Well, Cameron and I are planning on going to the movies tomorrow," she said, smiling at the tall boy sitting next to her. "I got my homework done already, so I don't have to worry about that. School's going well. High school is full of so many opportunities. The National Honor Roll, debate club, Knowledge Bowl. There's so much to do! I don't know how I'll have time enough for everything." Everyone laughed at her ecstatic expression.

"Slow down there, Nik," Cameron said. "Next think you know, you'll be running for class president again," he joked, referring to her prior attempt the year before. She whacked him on the shoulder, which did little to stem his laughter.

"Cam! I'll do no such thing. I'm just so excited about finally being in high school! There's a real chance for change. I'm already planning my schedule for the next four years. Start studying for the SATs, take the PSATs my junior year, and start checking out colleges. Then take the SATs my senior year and go to college!" she said excitedly. "Then, maybe I'll get a master's, a Ph.D., work overseas. Or even write a book!"

"Whoa, Nikki," Johnny said. "It's only your first year. You've got plenty of time to before you need to make those types of decisions. Enjoy the ride."

"But Johnny, I've got so many things I want to do. I want to make sure I don't waste my time."

"You won't," Susannah laughed.

"I know," she said contentedly, taking another bite of her salad. "Enough of me. Susannah, how's your week been?"

"Great! We're expanding our line not just to Europe, but hopefully to some Asian markets as well. Next week, I'm going to Japan to scope out some buyers, and get them to sponsor our line." Everyone burst out with congratulations.

"Wow!"  
"I can't believe it. That's awesome!"

"Congratulations!"

"By this time next week, I will be sitting in a trendy sushi bar, having a celebratory glass of saki," she noted. "Jay?" He looked up from his plate, where he had been pushing around the last bits of food with his fork.

"I don't really have anything to report," he said quietly. "The shop is still getting by, and so I can't complain." Haley closely watched him. He appeared to be happy, but there was no hiding the trembling in his hands and his tired face. The conversation waned for a minute, before Ava looked expectantly at Haley and Bradin. Well, you two, how has the first week been for the high school seniors?" Bradin and Haley exchanged quick glances. They hadn't actually spoken since the first day of school, except for necessary conversation, such as during chemistry lab or biology class. When they did speak, it was short and abrupt. They both spoke at the same time.

"Oh, it's great."

"I think it's going well." Both stopped.

"Go ahead," Bradin offered.

"The first week's been pretty good. Nothing too special though. I've got so much homework to do."

"Didn't you study all day today?" Ava asked.

"Yes, but I still have to find and cite five references for a research paper. Plus, we have a prelab to finish by Monday," she said pointedly towards Bradin. His green eyes gave nothing away.

"It'll get done…eventually," he said nonchalantly, enjoying her obvious panic.

"It better," she muttered, wishing she was close enough to kick him in the shins.

"Don't worry, it will," Bradin insisted.

"Like I trust you," she retorted. "I remember – ."

"Whoa, you two," Ava interrupted. "Haley, Bradin's been a much better student this year. I'm sure he's happy to do his full part," she said, giving her nephew a warning glance.

"Oh, yes, I'd be happy to," he quickly added, taking a long drink to avoid saying anything more.

"I heard there was a new teacher," Susannah spoke up, trying to change the subject.

"Yep, his name's Mr. Evans," Nikki piped in. "He's your chemistry teacher, isn't he Bradin?"

"Yeah," he said brusquely. He noticed Haley shifting uncomfortably in her seat.

"I remember him from Kansas. He taught there too," Nikki added. "Way back when I was little." Haley visibly stiffened.

"I've had him before," Bradin said, his eyes locking with Haley's. The tensions were high between them. They both remembered. She opened her mouth, but Bradin cut in. "What a coincidence that he's here," he laughed hollowly. "I never thought I'd see him again."

"Mr. Evans? Oh my, I remember having him. He taught chemistry my senior year too," Ava said. "He probably wanted a change of climate. I remember those Kansas winters. We'll have to have him over for dinner sometime. You kids could use a familiar face." She didn't notice the flicker of fear cross Haley's face and Bradin's unspoken warning. Jay saw, but decided to wait until later to address it.

"That would be great. He was always really nice to me," Nikki bubbled happily.

"Well, Johnny, what's been going on with you?" Jay asked abruptly. Johnny stayed silent, a strange look on his face. Jay looked at him curiously. He almost looked nervous.

"Well, uh, I, um," he stammered. This behavior was not typical for him. The whole table turned to look at him, various confused looks covering their faces. He stood up suddenly, almost knocking over his chair. "I was going to wait until later, but I've waited too long for this. Years too long." He stood in front of Ava and dropped to one knee, reaching into his pocket. Ava sat there, stunned, her mouth slightly open.

"Oh my goodness!" Nikki squealed. Susannah shushed her.

"Let the man speak." Beads of sweat were rolling down his forehead. He brushed them away with a faltering hand.

"Ava, I've known you for years. We've been friends for so long, I don't even remember when you weren't in my life," Johnny paused. "I've loved you since the first day I met you. You are the most beautiful, strong, amazing woman I've ever known. Those years we had apart, they only solidified what I felt about you. I'm sorry that I didn't step up, that I always seemed to be late. But I want you to know that I don't want to be like that anymore. And that's why I've got to say this." He took his hand out of his pocket, a small, dark blue box was in his palm. Flipping open the lid, a marquis cut diamond ring sparkled in the rays of the sunset. "Ava Gregory, I love you. Will you marry me?" She was speechless, silent tears rolling down her face.

"Yes! A thousand times yes!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck. He slipped the ring onto her finger, and they shared a long kiss. The table exploded with applause.

"Oh my goodness!" Nikki squealed over and over again.

"Does this mean that Johnny's going to be staying forever?" Derrick asked. A few words from his sister left him beaming. "Finally!"

"I am so happy for you two," Susannah said, her face looking similar to Ava's. She buried her face into a napkin, still sniffling. "This is just amazing."

"Congrats, Aunt Ava, Johnny," Bradin said. He looked satisfied with the turn of events.

"Congratulations!" Haley said. She didn't know all of their backstory, but knew that it had been a long hard road for the newly engaged couple.

"It's about time," Jay said, trying to smile. He felt a new pang of sorrow. It didn't seem like he would ever be so happy.

"Thank you so much," Ava addressed everyone. "I'm still in shock! It's like a beautiful dream come true."

"When's the date?" Nikki asked eagerly.

"Nikki, we've only just gotten engaged. We'll have to talk about it. Hopefully, it'll be sooner than later," Johnny said, winking at Ava, who blushed hotly. Jay only felt sadness at their obvious joy. He didn't know how much longer he would be able to keep up the façade of happiness.

"Ava, we've got so much planning to do," Susannah babbled excitedly. "Your dress is designed, but it's got to be made and tailored for you. I'm leaving for Japan in just a few days. You've got to find a venue, design invitations, start a guest list." Her voice trailed off.

"Susannah, don't worry, Colby can help me with the business here. The wedding probably won't be for awhile," Ava said. "We'll work it out."

"I'll be glad to help," Nikk offered. "When Mom helped with my cousin Amy's wedding back in Kansas, she let me help with some of the details."

"Thank you, Nikki," Ava said graciously. "I'm sure we could use all the help we could get."

"Oh, I'm so excited!" Nikki jumped up from the table. "I've got to tell Amber. May I be excused?" Before anyone could answer, she was running to the house, dragging Cameron behind her.

"Hey, what about the dishes?" Johnny called after her. Ava only giggled.

"Don't stop her, she's having the time of her life."

"She's been wanting this since the first time she knew you two had dated before," Bradin said. "We'll help clean up."

"Whoa, did you just offer to help?" Johnny said in mock surprise. Bradin only shrugged.

"It's the nice thing to do." Haley smiled inwardly. Maybe he hadn't changed so much after all.

"Why don't you two go have some time alone?" Susannah suggested. "We'll take care of things here, won't we guys?" Everyone gave their consent, although some of them more reluctantly. Ava and Johnny both opened their mouths to protest, but promptly closed them, when Susannah shooed them from the table. They walked down the beach hand-in-hand.

"I guess we'd better get started," Haley said, surveying the table full of dirty dishes with some dismay. She began to stack the plates, while Susannah and Derrick began to take the food up to the house. Jay and Bradin were stacking chairs. As Haley was putting the dishes in a bin, a drop of blood hit the tablecloth. She made a face when she realized she had another nosebleed. Reaching for a napkin, she pinched the bridge of her nose and waited for the bleeding to cease.

"Are you okay?" Jay asked, his voice worried.

"I'm fine," she answered, waving him away. "My nose isn't too fond of the climate here. Washington is more humid and wet. The dry air is irritating my nose."

"Let me help you with that," he said, reaching for another cloth to clean the blood.

"Um, I got it," Haley told him, gently pushing him away from the table. She began to scrub furiously at the stain. He looked at her curiously.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Bradin had stopped to watch the two of them.

"I'm fine," she insisted. "It's nothing at all. If anything, I'll just have to get the vessels cauterized."

"Get them what?"

"Cauterized. The doc sticks a hot rod up my nose and seals the vessels," she explained, watching Jay's face turn a shade paler. Bradin choked on a laugh.

"Oh, okay. I, um, I'll try not to ask next time," Jay mumbled.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I didn't mean to gross you out. It's the science nerd in me." The bleeding had stopped, so she put the cloth in a trash bag, careful not to let Jay see the blood. She didn't want to watch the blood drain from his face again.

"Don't worry about it," he told her. "I just have to get used to having another brainy kid in the house."

"You haven't seen the half of it," Bradin interjected. "Haley's the smartest girl I've ever known. She's going to cure cancer someday." Jay watched Haley's reaction. The girl's face was inscrutable.

"I guess we'll see," was all she said. "I'm kind of tired, so I'm going to take this stuff inside and then go to bed." She turned and left Bradin and Jay standing there, staring at her retreating back. They were both surprised at her sudden mood change. And the sun was still up; it was barely 8:30.

"I know there's something between you two," Jay began.

"Listen, we're trying to be friends," Bradin tried to explain.

"I know, I'm trying to figure out what is going on with you two," Jay said nonchalantly. Bradin caught on to his falsely casual tone, his eyes narrowing.

"There's nothing to tell," he said shortly."Why do you always think that just because we don't really like each other, we must be hiding something?" He headed to the house. Jay stood there, utterly confused. His night had gone from decent to worse. Next time, he just wouldn't ask.

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Bradin stacked the chairs in the closet by the door. Susannah and Derrick were loading the dishwasher. "Where's Haley?" he asked, not seeing her in the room.

"She said something about being tired, so I told her we'd take care of this," Susannah told him, shrugging her shoulders. He nodded and then mounted the stairs, taking them two at a time.

"Haley, are you okay?" he asked, knocking on her door. He could hear her moving around inside.

"I'm fine," she answered.

"You're sure?" he asked again. The door opened, and she stuck her head out, a look of disbelief on her face.

"What, so now you care?" The sarcasm was evident.

"I just wanted to check on you."

"You haven't talked to me except for during class this whole week," she stated. He felt guilty because he knew she was right.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what to say."

"You could say 'Hi', or even 'How are you doing?'" she suggested.

"You make me nervous," the admission surprised him.

"Me, make you nervous?"

"I guess nervous isn't really the right word. What I mean is that we haven't seen each other since junior high. You disappeared without a word. Nothing. Not even a good-bye," Bradin said. "Yet you expect us to be the same, but we're not."

"Don't you think I know that?" she retorted, her eyes flashing at him.

"Never mind. I'll just leave you alone." He rolled his eyes.

"Good," she muttered and then shut the door, locking it tightly.

"What happened to you?" he asked, his frustration pouring out. "What happened to the girl I knew?" There was no answer from the other side of the door. He started down the stairs. What sounded like a muffled sob caught his attention, and he contemplated going back upstairs, but changed his mind. He had tried, but it wasn't enough. It looked like their friendship hadn't survived the years they had been apart. The thought unsettled him, but he couldn't figure out why. Nor did he really want to know.

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**What'd you think? I hope you enjoyed it! Any comments (good, bad and ugly) are appreciated:)**


	10. Lessons In Miscommunication Pt 1

**Here's another chapter! Hopefully, this will clear up some of the questions. I'm sorry it's taken so long to finally get back to updating the story, but I'm definitely going to finish it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

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Sunday dawned bright and sunny. Haley spent the morning studying for her first biology quiz on Monday. It was early afternoon, and she was bent over her desk, scribbling away on a scrap of paper, when a knock sounded on the door. "Who is it?" she called, looking up from her notes.

"It's Bradin," Haley rolled her eyes. What did he want? She set down her pencil, got up and opened the door.

"Hi," she said, waiting expectantly. He seemed somewhat taken aback.

"Um, if you were busy, you could just say so," he said, shifting nervously. "I was just wondering if you wanted to work on the chemistry prelab."

"Sure. I'm about done studying for the bio quiz," Haley said. "Where do you want to work on it? I don't think my desk is going to work."

"Well, it's nice outside, we could go outside to the table in the back," Bradin suggested. She shrugged.

"That'll work. Do you have the lab?"

"Uh, I'll go get it." He disappeared down the stairs. Haley grabbed the homework and a calculator before following him. She spread the pages across the table. Bradin suddenly appeared to her right, and she tried not to jump.

"Sorry," he apologized, sitting next to her. "Where do we start?" She stared at him, disbelief covering her face.

"Haven't you taken chemistry before?" she asked, not realizing how condescending her words sounded. Bradin flushed.

"Yeah, I have," he retorted. "My lab doesn't have the same questions as yours does." Haley peered at his paper. She flipped it over.

"You're looking at the wrong side," she said, in a somewhat kinder tone.

"Oh, I knew something was wrong," he joked, trying to cover up the awkward moment.

"Let's just move onto the lab," Haley said. They both read the directions.

"This looks hard," he commented. "I'll go get the book, since it looks like we need some equations."

"Thanks," she smiled at him. To her surprise, he returned the smile, and to her horror, she had a funny feeling in her stomach. She covered neatly by hastily erasing her paper, but in her hurry, she also erased another answer. Thankfully, Bradin was not present to see her flustered self.

"I'm back," Bradin said "We are studying for the bio quiz, right?" he said, holding up the biology textbook. Haley was about to speak up, when he grinned impishly at her, and produced the chemistry book from behind his back. She quickly shut her mouth. "Did you really think I was that stupid?"

"No," she said defensively, then admitted. "Yes, maybe a little." Haley studied the biology textbook. "It's still in the shrink wrap," she said accusingly. "You haven't even studied yet."

"Nope," he said airily. "It shouldn't be that hard."

"We have to memorize the names of all of the bones in the human body," she said. "Do you know them already?"

"Most of them. I should probably brush up on the few." Haley stared at him with skepticism written all over her face.

"Oh, really?" she asked. To her amazement, he proceeded to name off all 206 bones. "How did you memorize those so quickly?"

"I've known them since I took second year biology…last year."

"Wow," she said, clearly impressed. "I know most of them, but I still get a few of them confused."

"I can help you with them if you help me with this chemistry homework," he teased, his green eyes glinting mischievously at her .

"Deal," she agreed. They shook hands on it. "But I get the better end of the deal since we had to do this anyways."

"I think I get the better deal since I know something that you don't," Bradin said. Now it was her time to blush.

"Got me there," she admitted. "All right, you win." She slammed the chemistry book shut and stood up.

"Whoa there," Bradin said. "What are you doing?"

"I'm leaving," she said.

"Listen, I'm sorry for teasing you so much," he apologized. "I'm just being a jerk."

"I'm sorry too, for insinuating that you're not smart enough for these classes," Haley said. She felt ashamed for the things she'd said earlier.

"Hey, it's okay. Are we good?" he asked, his green eyes piercing hers.

"Yes. Of course."

"Why don't we get started on this?" he said, gesturing towards the papers.

"I guess we're starting with a nice boring lab," she said. "Glassware. We have to explain the differences in measurements between beakers, Erylenmeyer flasks, burets and the like."

"The exact same thing I did last year," Bradin sighed. "I thought this year would be more interesting."

"Yeah, I learned this already too. But it looks like we're working on densities of liquids and solids next week. Boiling water and making ice."

"At least, they should be easy," he said happily.

"We have prelabs for all of these," Haley said, perusing the lab manual. She wrinkled her nose in annoyance. "It looks like they have at least 20 questions. Each." They exchanged disgruntled looks.

"Let's just get this done, okay?" Bradin said. They began diligently working on labeling the images and pictures. After the second page, Haley set her pencil down and rubbed at her blurry eyes.

"This is going to be a long year," she muttered. Bradin observed her shrewdly.

"Why do you always have to work so hard?"

"I don't work that hard," she said defensively. "I have so much to do in the next few months."

"Like what?"

"Well, I need to apply for college and take the SATs. That's going to take a lot of time. Then, I need to apply for scholarships. I'm hoping that whatever college I get into will give me a scholarship. This year is going to be tough enough. I must have been insane to try and take five AP classes. Not to mention the electives I wanted to take," Haley said. She yawned hugely.

"You are insane," Bradin said. "Why don't you drop a couple of those classes."

"I've got to. Colleges want these AP classes. They don't want me to take worthless swimming and music classes," she explained. "I've got to get in."

"Why? Why bother going to college?"

"I want to help people."

"You're going to kill yourself if you keep going like this," Bradin said. "Look at yourself. You're yawning all the time. I can see from here that your eyes are bloodshot."

"Now you sound like my grandma," Haley protested, but her voice didn't sound angry. Bradin had not heard her talk about her grandma since she had arrived.

"How are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm fine," she said, somewhat perplexed at his question.

"Not just now, but with…other things."

"You mean, like with my mom," she said in a quiet voice. She looked down at her homework and began to play with her pencil between her fingers.

"Yeah."

"I think you know what it's like. But you lost both your parents at the same time. I only lost one," Haley told him.

"But your dad…."

"It's kinda hard to miss someone you never knew."

"So you didn't ever talk to him?" Bradin asked.

"Nope. Didn't even know he was alive until he was dead," Haley said matter-of-factly. Bradin looked at her strangely.

"But…I thought that's why you moved."

"You mean, from Kansas?" Haley said incredulously. "You thought I left to go live with him?"

"Yeah," he admitted. "Maybe that's why we stopped talking."

"You know why we weren't friends anymore," she said, shifting uncomfortably. "Because of him. Because of what happened."

"I don't want to think about it," he said roughly.

"Well, it's too late for that," she shot back. "I'm not disappearing anytime soon, so you're going to have to face it sooner or later."

"What? Like you do?" Bradin retorted sarcastically. She turned over her arm, and the jagged scar flashed at him. He paled considerably.

"I'd do anything to forget it. But this doesn't really let me," she said, pulling up the sleeve of his shirt. A matching scar on the under part of his arm appeared. "I don't see how you can forget."

"I just don't think about it"

"Coward," she muttered. Now he was angry.

"What'd you call me? What's it to you? At least you got away!" Bradin yelled at her. "He still stuck around for a few months. And I had to face him…without you."

"Bradin," she tried to speak, but he stopped her.

"Just don't say anything."

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"It doesn't change what happened."

"Yes, it does. If you hadn't come...." Haley said, swallowing hard.

"What was he going to do to you?" Bradin found himself asking. "Why were you alone with him in the first place?"

"He asked me to help him set up a science experiment that afternoon. But when I arrived, that wasn't what he wanted."

"Was he going to…you know," Bradin swallowed hard.

"I don't know. It never got that far. But, it makes sense, doesn't it?" she answered slowly. "I just remember being scared. Really scared. We were sitting at his desk, and then I wanted to go get a drink, but he asked me to stay. We worked for a couple more hours, until I wanted to call my mom to let her know I'd be late. That's when I found out he locked the door. Then he…." Haley looked stricken and paused. "Why were you there, anyways?"

"Basketball practice. My mom was late picking me up. He always said that we could come hang out if he was there after school."

"You shouldn't have come."

"I'm glad I did."

"I would have been okay," she said.

"Oh really?" Bradin said in surprise. "He had a knife, Haley. Exactly what were you going to do?"

"I don't know. Something. I'm just sorry you got hurt," she admitted. "It's my fault that you got hurt." Bradin gently took her hand in his. She blinked in surprise, but didn't pull away.

"It wasn't your fault. He did this."

"I wish it had never happened."

"So do I," he admitted.

"Why did you have to come?"

"I couldn't let him hurt you," Bradin said. "He could have killed you." She smiled weakly.

"I thought he was going to beat you to death."

"He could have if you hadn't of hit him with the buret," his voice trailed off.

"How did you explain it to your parents?"

"I told them I'd tripped and fallen down the stairs."

"And they believed you?" she asked incredulously. "The black eye, the large cut, all the bruises?"

"Well, what did you tell your mom?"

"I'd broken a beaker and cut my arm," Haley said. Bradin lightly traced the jagged scar that trailed down her arm. "She believed me."

"I could've killed him myself for what he was going to do," he said angrily.

"There's nothing we can do about it now," she said. "Who would people believe anyways? A nice, respected teacher or two kids who've made their shares of mistakes."

"We got into a lot of trouble back then," Bradin laughed. "I can't think of any time I got in trouble that you weren't there with me."

"Times were different then."

"But what happened to us? To you? We were best friends. And then you left."

"I'm sorry, Bradin. I had no choice," she looked away and sniffed almost inaudibly.

"And I had to face him without you. For the next three years, he held it over me. I wanted to tell someone so many times, but you're right. No one would have believed us." Bradin sighed. "Why did you leave? Was it because of him? That wasn't the real reason, was it?"

"No, it wasn't."

"But you left like the next week. Just like that. No good-bye, no nothing."

"Bradin, I'm sorry. My grandma got sick. And my mom wanted to be near her. She'd been applying for jobs in Seattle for weeks." Haley tried to explain.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Mom thought it would be best to not try to hold onto the past," she said sheepishly. "I didn't know what else to do. Please don't be mad." She sniffed louder, a few tears fell onto the page.

"Don't cry. Please," he pleaded. "What's wrong?" He squeezed her hand gently. She turned away, and he caught a glimpse of her arm. Haley tried to pull her arm away, but was unsuccessful. "What are these?" he asked, staring at the scars on her arm. Comprehension dawned on his face. "Haley…."

"It's nothing," she said dismissively.

"What are these from?" Bradin examined the various needle marks that covered the crook of her arms.

"No, I'm just a frequent blood donor."

"It looks like they practice darts on your arm," he said.

"Sometimes they miss," she said, finally pulling away from him. "Don't look so worried." Bradin looked at her with a cautious expression on his face.

"You're sure that's all?" She sighed heavily.

"Yes."

"Okay," he answered. "I'm sorry, I just overreacted. For all I knew, you could be doing drugs or something like that."

"That's not likely," she laughed, her tears gone.

"Didn't think so." Bradin said. "But I don't really know you anymore."

"Do you think we could…maybe try to be friends again?" she asked hesitantly. "Start over?"

"I think that…would be a good idea."

"Well then," she said. "I'm Haley."

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Bradin." He burst out laughing and she joined in. "I can't believe I just did that."

"That's one of the things I liked about you," Haley admitted. "We could always just be ourselves. I could be a complete idiot, but you didn't care. I guess maybe things have changed too much." She folded her arms on the table and rested her head on them.

"Maybe it's not too late for a second chance," Bradin said; he smoothed her hair back from her face. She smiled tiredly, an unreadable expression crossing her face.

"Maybe not."

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**Well, I hope you liked it! Thanks for reading:)**


	11. Lessons in Miscommunication Pt II

**Well, here's another chapter! It's only taken me way too long to update this story. Hope you enjoy it:)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for my own characters.**

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**Chapter 11 - Lessons in Miscommunication Pt II**

"Hey, are you ready to go?" Haley asked as she sat down at the table across from Bradin. Ava and Jay were talking in the kitchen as they waited for the coffee to be done.

"What are you so excited about?" he questioned, noticing her bright eyes and excited smile. "Did you turn into Nikki overnight?"

"It's our first quiz. I've got to make a good impression on the teacher," Haley grinned. Just the mention of biology caused Bradin's face to darken.

"Don't get too close to him. You know why," he cautioned in a low voice, so that Jay and Ava wouldn't hear. The light left her eyes immediately. Haley blushed and began chewing on her lower lip.

"I forgot for a sec," she said in a small voice. "Never mind. I'm not excited now."

"Just keep a low profile. It'll be fine. You can still be excited." Bradin said confidently. "Anyways, I don't know why I should even try this year with you in all my classes."

"Whatever. You're smart."

"Look who's talking Little-Miss-A plus," he teased. She shot him a half-angry look.

"We're going to be late. Aren't you done eating yet?"

"You didn't eat anything," Bradin pointed out.

"I'll eat later," Haley told him, as she grabbed her books and started to head out the door.

"Wait for me!" he called after her, as he slung his backpack over his shoulder and followed.

"What's gotten into them?" Ava asked Jay, who was staring at Bradin's retreating from with some trepidation.

"They're just…being teenagers," he muttered. "You remember how it was."

"I was never excited about pop quizzes," she laughed. "For sharing the same genes, you and Haley are very different."

"Can't say that I was ever big school. I was too busy with surfing."

"She's a good girl, Jay. You're going to do a great job with her," she told him. "You've come a long way since I first met you."

"I don't know," he sighed. "Some times I feel like we are worlds apart. I watched how you struggled with the kids at first, so I keep expecting something bad to happen."

"In case you haven't noticed, Haley is nothing like my kids."

"True. She's a mystery to me. You know how I am with women," he protested.

"If there's anything you ever need to know, just let me know," Ava offered.

"Thanks Ava," he said, giving her a quick squeeze. "I'll see you guys tonight."

Haley rubbed her eyes and put her pencil down. The rest of the class was still diligently writing away. The teacher had given them the class period to work on their first writing assignment, a creative writing piece on climaxes. Writing was not her strong point, but she enjoyed it enough to do well. She turned her paper in and spent the rest of the period observing the others in class. The girl on her right kept humming quite loudly, and Haley had to clench her jaw to keep from bursting out laughing. Amelia caught her eye from across the room and winked. The urge to laugh deepened, so she pinched herself. Thankfully, the bell rang, and she was spared the embarrassment. As Haley gathered her things and prepared to leave, Amelia caught up to her and walked with her. "So, new girl, how's it going?"

"Pretty good. That essay wasn't too bad, was it?"

"Nah, it was easy," Amelia shrugged.

"I hope the bio quiz is that easy." A tap on her shoulder caused her to stop.

"Hey, it's Haley, isn't it?" A tall blond girl stood behind her. She was perfectly dressed in the latest style, and Haley felt rather awkward.

"Um, yeah, that's me."

"I'm Brittany," the girl introduced herself. She held out a slender hand.

"Nice to meet you," Haley stuttered.

"Are you busy this weekend?"

"Nothing except for doing homework," Haley became suspicious.  
"Well, I'm having a party on Friday night at 9 down by the cove, and I was hoping you could come," Brittany said sweetly.

"Uh, well, sure. I'd like to come."

"Great. I'll see you there," and she left as abruptly as she came.

"I can't believe that Brittany asked you to her party!" Amelia squealed excitedly. "That is the biggest party of the year. Only the most popular kids get invited."

"Well, I guess that means you're coming with me," Haley said. "There's no way I'm going to that kind of a party by myself."

"I wonder how she knew you even existed." Amelia steered them to a

"She probably figured out that I actually use my brain and wants me to do her homework for her or something."

"Aren't we Miss Pessimistic?" Amelia teased.

"You'll eat your words when she brings out the pig's blood," Haley said moodily.

"What are you talking about?" Amelia looked puzzled.

"Never mind," Haley laughed. "I'll go as long as you go."

"Deal." They walked into calculus where Mrs. Tyndel greeted them with a pop quiz. A headache began to build as Haley wrote her name on her paper. The day was only beginning, but she already felt tired. Maybe this course load was a little overkill, she thought sheepishly. The words on the page blurred as she concentrated on working out the problems. With some trepidation, she turned in the quiz and was able to leave. The rest of the day passed in a haze, and she was eager to get back to the house so she could sleep. A familiar voice stopped her, as she walked down the sidewalk.

"How'd that quiz go?" Bradin asked conversationally.

"Pretty good," Haley answered. "It was definitely not my favorite, but I think I did well."

"I think I messed up a little on the short essay, but other than that, it was good," he said. Haley suddenly stood still in the middle of the sidewalk, catching Bradin off guard.

"What are you doing, Bradin?" she asked in a low voice.

"What do you mean?"  
"I mean this? Why are you talking to me? How come all of the sudden you start being nice to me? What's the ulterior motive?"

"I don't have any," he replied, completely confused. She started walking faster and he broke into a jog to keep up. "What's going on here?"

"Nothing," Haley muttered. Her headache increased along with her temper, and all she wanted to do was get home. Why had she ever decided to open her mouth?

"What did I ever do to you?"

"Nothing," she repeated dully. "Nothing at all." Bradin moved as if to touch her, and she evaded him neatly. He had a sudden idea of what was going on.

"You left first," he said. The look she gave him only served to confirm his suspicions.

"I had no choice."

"Why didn't you even say goodbye? I mean, one day you're there, and the next, my mom tells me you've moved."

"You wouldn't understand," she said in a muffled voice.

"Try me."

"I can't," Haley finally met his gaze. Her eyes were cloaked with some mysterious emotion that he couldn't decipher.

"I thought we were starting over and being friends again."

"Maybe it's too late for that." At her words, Bradin let out a irritated sigh.

"Just yesterday you wanted to try again."

"A lot can change."

"What has gotten into you?" he almost yelled. Haley was definitely the most frustrating girl he had ever had the misfortune of meeting. "What happened to the girl I knew back in Kansas?"

"She's been gone for a long time," Haley said quietly. With that, she ran off down the sidewalk, leaving a perplexed Bradin standing on the street corner. He was so confused. She had the weirdest effect on him. There was something there that she was hiding, and he was determined to find out. Instead of following her, Bradin took a detour. He needed to talk to someone, anyone.

* * *

"Bradin, what are you doing here?" Erika asked, as Bradin slowly entered the shop. She perceptively studied the younger man and waited for him to speak up.

"I was looking for Jay," Bradin answered nonchalantly. "Is he around?" He rested his elbows on the counter and stared off randomly into space.

"Not right now, but he should be back soon."

"Okay, I guess I'll come back later," he said, turning to leave.

"Is there anything I can help you with? You're not acting like yourself."

"Nothing's wrong. I just wanted to say hi and hang out for a minute."

"Okay, seriously this time. You're not just here for small talk," Erika said.

"I…oh, never mind," Bradin mumbled. "He thought long and hard before continuing. "Don't take this the wrong way. I need some advice."

"All right, tell me. Is it about a girl?" she smiled knowingly.

"Kind of. But not in the way that you think."

"Then is it about the new girl in your house?" Erika guessed correctly. He nodded slowly and began to pace back and forth.

"'Did you know that we were in the same school from elementary to junior high? We were like best friends. Then she leaves all of the sudden. I don't see her for several years, and suddenly she shows up at our house. To make things more complicated, she's Jay's sister."

"But you care about her."

"I just want to be her friend," Bradin said. "She was a large part of my childhood."

"You're not kids anymore," Erika pointed out. "Things won't be the same. You've both changed."

"I don't know if that's all a good thing," Bradin said.

Erika stared at him for a minute before asking, "What does that mean?"

"Both of our lives have changed drastically," he tried to explain. "But something's different about Haley now."

"Something more than losing her mom, finding out she's got a brother, and moving 1000 miles from home?"

"Since you put it that way, I guess not."

"What exactly is going on?"

"Well, I think we're friends one day, and then the next, she's all moody. I'm so confused."

"Isn't that kind of the way girls are?" Erika grinned. "We act like that a lot."

"I feel like she's hiding something from me.

"What do you think I should do?"

"Just be her friend. Be patient. If I remember correctly, you weren't exactly thrilled to be here in Playa Linda. I think that she needs time to get used to her new life."

"It's not easy for me…to be friends with a girl," Bradin admitted sheepishly.

"We're friends, aren't we?" Erika laughed. "Don't put pressure on her, let her know that you're a safe person to talk to."

"Do you think that'll work?"

"Trust me, Bradin," Erika said, patting him on the back. "She needs friends, and I can't think of a better one than you." Bradin smiled weakly at her and hoped her words were true.

* * *

Haley slept soundly before a loud pounding noise woke her. Her headache had lessened some, but there was still some pain. She got off her bed and went to start her homework. After a few moments of staring at the blank page, Haley closed her physics book and pushed it to the side of her desk. She felt twinges of guilt at her earlier actions. Even if she was feeling confused and scared, it was no excuse for the rollercoaster ride of her emotions, the brunt of them being directed towards Bradin. He was only trying to be friendly, and considering the events that had occurred in their pasts, that was a large feat. But sitting in her room and mulling her thoughts were not going to remedy the situation. With a sigh, Haley got up and went to find him to apologize. "Have you seen Bradin?" she asked Nikki, who was sitting on the couch reading a book.

"I think he's down on the beach," she told Haley before turning back to her book. Haley headed down to the beach and scanned the crowd of people, looking for a familiar blond head. She saw him talking to a group of teens, and gathering up courage, slowly walked over to them. Bradin saw her coming, and stepped away from the crowd.

"Hey, what's up?" he asked.

"I just wanted to talk to you for a minute, but you're busy, so I'll go away," she said and began to walk away.

"Haley, wait. I'm not busy. Here, let's walk down here," he said, directing them down towards a more secluded area of the beach. "What did you want to tell me?" She waited until they were far away from the crowds and down by a large rock formation.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry for the way I treated you earlier," she said soberly. "Please forgive me."

"It's okay. I know that things have been kind of crazy lately, especially with you being new here and all."

"I really am sorry," she began, but he stopped her.

"Hales, don't worry about it. You're fine," Bradin told her calmly. She was so relieved; she didn't notice his use of her nickname.

"Thank you," Haley said. "It just seems like such a rollercoaster with us. I feel so upside down." She

"It takes awhile to get used to being here," he said reassuringly. "Don't think that it'll be easy right off."

"I wish it was," she admitted softly. "It seems like I blew our second chance." He only smiled warmly at her and desperately fought off the urge to hug her. He settled for a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"So, let's just try for a third," he said. "Don't worry about it." Bradin ignored the warnings going off in his mind and pulled her into a hug. His next words almost brought her to tears, but she held them in check. He whispered into her hair.

"We'll just keep trying, Hales, until we get it right."

* * *

**That's all for now. I will do my best to update much sooner. Thanks for reading!**


	12. Don't Leave Me

**Okay, so this has to be a record for fastest update. Not to mention the longest chapter I've ever written.**

**Hope you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me except for my own characters and storyline.**

* * *

**Chapter 12 - Don't Leave Me**

Before Haley knew it, the week was almost over. She was starting to get used to the new climate and different atmosphere of Playa Linda. The lack of rain and constant sunshine had been a shock, but she was enjoying it. For the most part, the people were nice, Jay was trying his hardest to learn to be a good brother, and her new household was more than welcoming. The more time she spent with Amelia, the more she enjoyed hanging out with the other girl. Amelia came by after school on Thursday to see Haley. "Hey, we need to go shopping."

"What? What are you talking about?" Haley asked in confusion. "Shopping?"

"Yeah, that thing where you go to the mall and try on clothes. Possibly buy them afterwards."

"Playa Linda has a mall?" Haley asked, keeping a straight face. Amelia stared at her with a look of horror until the other girl broke down laughing.

"Aw Haley, don't do that to me. You had me scared for a minute."

"I'm not much of a shopper. Why do you need to go shopping?"

"Not for me. For you, silly. You've got your big party coming up."

"Is it really that big of a deal?" she asked skeptically.

"Well, not really. But it's an excuse to hit the mall," Amelia said, grinning. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other. "Come on. Let's go."

"Okay, let me grab my stuff," Haley agreed. They were at the mall in the space of a few minutes. She stared at the small building, picturing Pioneer Square and Northgate in her mind. "Uh, is this it?"

"Yeah," Amelia answered. She noticed Haley's expression. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. It just looks a little different than I was expecting." Haley tried to cover her surprise. They wandered from store to store in the complex, stopping occasionally to look at a shirt or dress.

"I think you should try this on," Amelia pointed to a short, skintight dress that left little to the imagination.

"That's not really my type," Haley admitted. The majority of the clothes were made for the warmer weather. Her type of clothing covered up as much of her body as possible.

"Try this one," Amelia continued, pulling a two-piece swimsuit off the rack. "It's cute." Haley could feel her face heat up. There was no way she would be caught dead in that. At least not anymore.

"Why don't you try something on? You're going with me, aren't you?" Amelia beamed.

"You're right!" She began to collect an odd assortment of clothes and pile them on her arm. Haley watched her try on shirt after shirt, with multiple skirts.

"Is this party that important?" she asked again, after the umpteenth visit to the fitting room.

"Well, who knows? Maybe I'll find the guy of my dreams there."

"If he lives here, then chances are you've met him in school," Haley pointed out logically.

"But maybe he'll notice me better if I'm wearing something nicer," Amelia replied with an incorrigible grin. Haley rolled her eyes and sighed inwardly. It looked like the afternoon was going to be quite long.

When Haley got back to the house, she was surprised to see Jay waiting for her. "Hey, do you have a minute?" he asked, motioning for her to follow him his room in the boat shack.

"Sure," she replied. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to see how your week's been," he stumbled over his words. She had to cover a smile. He tried so hard to be a good father figure. It was kind of cute.

"I'm doing good. The weekend's almost here, which means more fun-filled days of homework. How are you doing?" The question caught him off-guard.

"Oh, um, I'm okay. I really wanted to check up on you," he said.

"I'm doing fine, Jay. It's not too bad here, really," Haley smiled at him. "Is everything going better since…you know." His face fell, and she wished she hadn't mentioned it.

"Yeah," he sighed heavily. "It's a process, but I'm getting through one day at a time."

"That's the best way to do it," Haley said, remembering the first few days after her move to Seattle. "Jay, I really am glad to be here."

"Honest?" he asked uncertainly. "Sometimes, I think that you should have stayed with your grandmother. She knows you better than I do, for sure."

"Then you'd better start trying harder," she laughed, then immediately sobered up. "I would love to be with my grandma, but she wants me to be here. She wants me to connect with the last living relative I have before she's gone."

"You really think you won't see her again?" he asked as gently as he could. She studied the floor intently.

"No, I don't think so."

"Haley, I'm sorry," he felt ashamed for bringing up such a sensitive situation.

"It's hard, but I've had some time to get used to it." She gave him a quick hug.

"One more thing," he drew out the words. "How are things going between you and the rest of the house?" Haley's thoughts first jumped to Bradin and the difference that had come over him in the past couple days. She decided not to mention him.

"Everything's great. They've all been amazingly nice to me."

"That's awesome." He checked the clock. "Oh, man, I've got to run, I'm supposed to do inventory tonight. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah," she said, watching as he raced out the door. "Don't worry about me, Jay," she said to the air. "Everything is going to be just fine."

------

The day of the beach party was cloudy with a few occasional raindrops. Amelia was down through the entire school day. Haley tried to cheer her up with little results.

"The weather from Seattle must have followed me," she joked. Amelia only gazed at her with gloomy eyes.

"I'll have to wear a sweater tonight!" she fretted. "I'll get my new dress all wet." Haley didn't have the heart to tell her that Seattle was at least twenty degrees colder than Playa Linda. This was perfect T-shirt weather.

"It could be worse," Haley coaxed. "I think you'll have a great time tonight."

"See, you don't have to worry about impressing a guy. You live with one of the hottest guys in Playa Linda!" Haley almost choked on her water.

"What are you talking about? Jay is my brother," she said, knowing full well who Amelia was talking about.

"Not Jay, I meant Bradin."

"Him? No, he's not my type." Amelia stared at her.

"You're totally joking, right?"

"Kind of. We're just friends," she tried to explain.

"Right. Uh-huh. Then you don't mind of us other girls go after him?"

"Be my guest," Haley told her in all seriousness. She clamped her mouth shut as the topic of their conversation wandered up to them.

"Hey," Bradin said in a casual tone, or so he hoped.

"Hi," Haley and Amelia chimed together.

"So, are you going to the big party tonight?"

"I guess so," Amelia said, giggling. "Will we see you there?" Haley watched as her new friend transformed into one of those girls she usually avoided.

"I don't know. I'm supposed to hang out with my little brother tonight," he said.

"Oh," Amelia sounded disappointed. "Well, you should come afterwards."

"We'll see." He didn't sound too enthusiastic. "I'll see you at home," he said to Haley before disappearing into the crowd.

"You are so lucky to be living in the same house with him," Amelia squealed.

"I don't think luck had anything to do with it," Haley said, trying to keep her voice even.

"Still, he's so amazing. I'd give anything to go out with him," her friend said dreamily. Haley was surprised. What had come over her friend?

"Listen, I've got to go home before this whole party thing starts. I'll meet you down there at 9, okay?" she said, waving to Amelia, who was still babbling about something.

------

The night was sultry warm. A light drizzle was still falling as Haley made her way to the cove where the party was being held. A roaring bonfire and dozens of laughing and talking teens greeted her. There was a large stereo system blaring out the latest hits, none of which were familiar to her. A tall guy who for some absurd reason was wearing sunglasses handed her a plastic cup full of some liquid. The odor emanating from it told her it was alcohol. As discreetly as possible, she dropped the cup into the nearest trashcan. "You came!" a voice shouted behind her. Haley turned to see Amelia standing behind her, wearing a microscopic bikini with some filmy wrap tied around it.

"Yep, I did. Looks like a…great party."

"Isn't it?" she yelled. "There are some nice guys here too," she said, grinning. "Why aren't you dressed up?" Amelia gestured towards Haley's shorts and t-shirt.

"

"Um, maybe this isn't my type of party to go to," Haley tried to speak, but was interrupted by Brittany who somehow had snuck up next to her.

"Hi Haley. Glad you could make it," her words did not sound very sincere.

"Glad to be here," Haley replied smoothly. Feelings of mistrust rose within her. "It's a nice party. Thank you for inviting me."

"No problem," Brittany said in a sickly-sweet voice. "Think of it as a 'welcome to Playa Linda'" Haley smiled at her, but inside she was suspicious. A guy Haley recognized from school came up and spoke to Brittany, who left abruptly.

"Well, that was interesting," Haley observed. She waited for Amelia to make some quick reply and was surprised to discover that her friend had disappeared into the crowd. Feeling slightly lonely, she wandered in and out of the groups of people sprawled across the sand. Haley tried to mingle and had several short conversations, but nothing too meaningful.

"Hey, what's your name?" a deep voice asked. She glanced to her right and found herself looking up into the eyes of a young man who was probably several years older than her.

"I'm Haley," she answered, her tone guarded. "And yours?"

"Nice to meet you, Haley. I'm Randall, but you can call me Randy. What brings you to Brittany's party?"

"I got invited, so I came."

"Good enough reason," he chuckled, his blue eyes twinkling merrily at her. "So, what do you like to do for fun?"

"I'm a big fan of studying, reading, the real exciting things in life," Haley answered. "What about you?"

"I love surfing. Other than school, I spend most of my time on the waves."

"Sounds like my brother," she mused.

"Who's that?"

"Jay Robertson," Haley said, completely unprepared for his reaction.

"Jay Robertson? Are you serious? He's like a legend around here."

"Yeah, that's him."

"Wow! Wait. Where are you from? I haven't seen you around here."

"I'm from Seattle. I just moved here recently to live with him."

"Cool! I have an aunt that lives in Seattle. I get to see her every year."

"Really?" she said a bit too eagerly.

"Yeah, what do you say we get out of here? There's a nice quiet spot not too far from here. I want to here all about life in Seattle."

"Okay," Haley agreed. As they walked through the crowd, she was too busy talking to him to notice some of the people exchange strategic glances.

------

Bradin spent most of the evening playing video games with Derrick, winning many of the games, but also letting his younger brother win a few. While they were on their tenth round of a car racing game, Jay entered the living room. "Hey, have either of you seen Haley?"

"No, I guess she was going to a party down by the cove tonight."

"By herself?" Jay asked as a protective feeling came over him.

"No, she was going with a friend from school." Bradin watched as Jay relaxed noticeably.

"Oh, okay, good." Jay watched them play for a few more minutes. "Hey Derrick, I got that telescope fixed up again, if you want to go look for a few more constellations."

"Yeah!" Derrick said excitedly. He set down the control, his car on the screen crashing magnificently. "Thanks for hanging out with me tonight, Bradin. Want to come with us?"

"Not tonight, D. It was fun to beat you so many times," he teased. Derrick punched him in the shoulder, and he ducked. Jay and Derrick disappeared out the door. Bradin sat for a minute before heading down the beach in the opposite direction towards the cove.

He soon came upon the party. It was hard to miss considering it lit up the entire beach for a half-mile. He scanned the throngs of teens, searching for one face in particular, but didn't see her anywhere. Amelia was there, dancing with some guy he didn't know. "Hey, have you seen Haley?"

"No," she said cautiously. He was immediately wary.

"Where is she?" he asked.

"I don't know. Brittany would, though." He pushed past her and went hunting for Brittany. She was kissing Marty, one of his high school surfing teammates.

"Uh, sorry for interrupting, but I need to find Haley. Have you seen her?" A quick flicker in her eyes raised his suspicions.

"No idea. I'm not a baby-sitter," she said innocently.

He called her bluff. "Don't lie to me. I know you're up to something. Tell me what you've done." The innocent façade fell away, and she looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"Don't blame me," was all she said, jerking her head in the direction of the cliffs. "It wasn't all my idea." His mind ran wild with scenarios, none of them good.

"What did she ever do to you?" was his parting shot as he took off running towards the cliffs.

------

Haley felt a little shiver of fear as Randy led her deeper into the rocks. She threw a longing look back at the bonfire, which now was a small orange dot among the darkness. "Where exactly are we going?" she asked with some hesitation.

"Nowhere special," he answered.

"Do you think we can go back now?" The look on his face erased all feelings of comfort.

"I don't think so," he said, his voice low and menacing. All friendliness was gone from his eyes. She began to tremble and mustered up all the courage she had.

"Randy, I'd like to go back, please."

"No." The single word filled her with panic. She turned to run, but he grabbed her arm roughly.

"Ow!" she cried out. "Please let go of me!" Haley tried to wiggle free, but his grip was like iron. He had her caught against the rocks.

"You're not going anywhere." He tried to kiss her, but she pushed at him and scratched his face. A roar of anger burst out of him. Haley ran around the corner, but he was too quick and caught up to her. Randy hit her hard across the face. The metallic taste of blood filled her mouth. She staggered, but held herself up against the cliff. A brief struggle ensued, but he was victorious, and had her arms pinned against the rock. She was trembling all over.

"Stop!" she screamed. He only laughed, the sheer coldness grating against her ears. She kicked at him, and he only laughed harder. A couple hard blows to her ribs silenced her.

"Why are you doing this?" she cried out painfully. His only answer was another hit, and she fell to her knees. Images of past memories flashed through her mind. Memories that had lain dormant for five years. Haley heard a loud clattering noise behind her, and she twisted around. He shoved her one last time, and she slipped on the wet surface. Her head slammed into a rock, and she crumpled to the ground, unconscious.

Bradin arrived just at that moment, and he threw himself at Randy, who was caught off guard. They fought viciously for a few moments. Randy was a several pounds heavier, but Bradin was much quicker. Bradin would have the upper hand, and then Randy would land a good punch. "What did you do?" Bradin yelled at him, pummeling him in the stomach.

"I'm just doing a favor for someone. Someone you should know very well," Randy gasped out. The meaning of his words were not lost on Bradin. He pushed Randy against the wall and held him there.

"Get out of here. You have until tomorrow to get out of town." Bradin said, his voice steely. "If you don't, then you'll wish you had."

"Threatening me, Westerly? I'm not afraid of you."

"Not of me, but I think a few days in jail will sober you up." The mention of jail time caused the other man to pause. "Get out of here!" Bradin yelled again. Randy stood, stumbled and catching himself, he lurched away down the beach. Bradin watched to make sure he wasn't returning before rushing back to where Haley lay. He gently brushed a few tendrils of hair back from her face. Bruises marred her pale skin, and he felt a surge of anger at Randy. Bradin tenderly felt the back of her head where he discovered a large knot. "Haley?" he spoke her name softly. "Haley, come on, wake up." He didn't want to move her for fear of injuring her further. "Hales, wake up." Several long moments passed as he waited.

Haley moaned and her eyelids fluttered. All she felt was pain running throughout her. Every breath hurt, and she gasped. Someone touched her, and she flailed wildly at him. "Haley, it's me, Bradin!" Her eyes flew open at the sound of his voice, and she ceased struggling.

"Bradin?" she murmured weakly.

"Haley," he said, relief rushing through him. "How bad is it?"

"Could be worse," she muttered, her breath coming in little gasps. A few tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes and trickled down her cheeks.

"Lie still. Can you still move everything?" he asked. She flexed her fingers and moved her legs. He moved to feel her ribs, but she frantically stopped him.

"No, don't!" Haley was close to panic.

"Hales, I need to get you to a doctor.

"No, I'll be okay!"

"Haley, you're hurt. Who knows how bad?"

"My ribs aren't broken, and I've had concussions before. Remember?" she said, still breathing raggedly. Yes, he did remember, and the memory still chilled him to the bone.

"You're sure."

"I just want to go home," she told him. Bradin carefully helped her sit up. She winced with each movement, but clenched her jaw and didn't complain.

"How's that?" he asked, watching her closely.

"Everything's moving," she said, closing her eyes tightly.

"Here, put your arm around my neck," he instructed her, placing one arm under her legs and with the other one supporting her back, he lightly picked her up. The little movement caused her to flinch. The world continued to spin.

"Bradin, I'm going to be sick." She rested her head against his shoulder and tried to control her breathing. The moment passed. "It's not as bad now."

"It's going to be a little bit before we get home. Just hang in there, okay?"

"Okay," was her quiet answer. He walked as smoothly as possible to avoid jostling her. She just tried to concentrate on not being sick.

"We're almost there," he said encouragingly as they approached the back patio. He could feel her tense up as he navigated the steps. "How are you going to hide this from everybody?" Bradin glanced through the window. The living room was deserted, a single light casting a glow across the room. "I'll think we'll make it upstairs without anyone seeing." He managed to open the door and close it without too much noise. The stairs were a little harder to climb, but he deftly made it up every flight with only a few squeaks. Bradin gently laid Haley on her bed. "How are you doing?"

"I'm okay," she said sleepily.

"You shouldn't sleep with a concussion," he said, covering her with a blanket.

"Thank you, Bradin," she said, a few tears still evident.

"Shhh," he shushed her. "You're going to be okay" He was about to leave, but she clutched at his arm.

"Don't leave me," she cried out.

"I'll be right back," he soothed her. She loosened her grip, and he slipped out of the room. In the bathroom, he grabbed a washcloth and ran it under some warm water. Stealing back to Haley, he knelt by the bed and lightly dabbed at the dried blood on her face.

"I'm sorry," she sniffled. "So sorry."

"Hales, don't apologize. It's not your fault. None of this is," he gently scolded her. She continued to cry silently. Bradin cleaned her up as best he could. When he was finished, he stood to leave again, but she held tightly to his hand.

"Please…don't leave me," she begged. He was exhausted, but couldn't bring himself to refuse her request.

"I'll be right here, I promise," he reassured her. "Let me grab a chair." A few minutes later, he was settled as comfortably as possible next to the bed. "I'm here. You can go to sleep now."

"Thank you," she whispered again. Moments passed he sat there. Her death grip loosened, and went slack within his hand, and he knew she was asleep. Although his bed was calling him, he stayed right there. A promise was a promise, and he meant to keep this one, even if it meant he had to stay awake all night.

"Sweet dreams, Haley," he whispered, knowing full well she couldn't hear him. Reaching over with one hand, Bradin turned off the bedside light. Without thinking, he leaned over her and tenderly pressed a kiss to her forehead in the dark. He settled back in the chair. A long night was ahead of him, but he wasn't going anywhere. It had taken some time, but he finally had gained some of her trust, and nothing would cause him to break the fragile trust between them.

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**Well, that's all for now! Thanks for reading!**


	13. Perspectives

**Okay, so it seems like with every chapter, the story gets more convoluted. But there is an explanation for everything, honest! I'm slowly getting there. A big answer will be coming soon. Especially to what exactly happened 3 years ago.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

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**Chapter 13 - Perspectives**

The morning sun was bright and piercing. In her subconsciousness, Haley could feel the warmth of the sun's rays piercing through the curtains. As she slowly awoke, consciousness returned along with a splitting headache. She inhaled quickly as the throbbing began to creep along her temples. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was the party, but other than that, her mind was a blank slate. The more she tried to remember, the more her head ached, so she decided to give up. Haley opened her eyes, but the brightness of the light caused her to clamp her eyes shut. She shifted slightly in the bed, causing another jolt of pain through her body. Everything hurt. Why, she had no idea. After a few minutes more, she opened her eyes again, this time steeling herself for the pain to intensify. Her fingers curled involuntarily into fists, and she flinched at the realization of someone else's fingers intertwined with hers. Painstakingly slowly, Haley turned her head and found herself looking at Bradin, who was curled up sleeping in a chair. In the midst of her head pounding, she still blushed at the though of their hands touching. As gingerly as possible, she extricated her hand from his. He didn't move, but continued sleeping soundly. Somehow, she knew that between the previous night and now, the dynamic between them had changed. Whether it was good or bad, she didn't know. The pain increased, and Haley tried to fall back asleep to perhaps alleviate the throbbing in her head.

She slept fitfully for an unknown amount of time before a stirring sound caused her to turn towards Bradin again. He was awake now, and his concerned green eyes were fixed on her face. "Hey," he whispered softly.

"Hi," she croaked out, somewhat dismayed at the rustiness of her voice. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I mean, good morning."

"How are you feeling?" he asked, leaning forward and resting his arms on the side of the bed.

"I've felt much better in my life," she tried to joke, but winced instead.

"I should've taken you straight to the hospital," he muttered. "How bad is it?"

"It could be worse," Haley said, wheezing slightly. "It's not that bad. I think I'll live."

"There could be something really wrong." He watched her anxiously as if she was going to break into a million little pieces.

"This isn't the first time I've felt like this." Her words brought back distant memories. Memories that he wished would remain buried. Images of dark hallways, raised voices, and pain filled his mind. He struggled to push away the thoughts.

"I know." Bradin spoke, his voice full of knowing.

"Bradin, really, I'll be fine. All I need is a few days to rest up."

"There are six other people living in this house. How are you going to hide something like this?" Bradin asked, gesturing towards her bruised face. She touched her face delicately.

Her voice sounded defeated, resigned. "I don't know. I didn't think about this."

"Maybe we can think of something," he said thoughtfully. A knock on the door caused both of them to freeze. They exchanged looks of dread.

"What do we do now?" she asked in a frantic whisper.

"I don't know." The knocking grew louder. Jay's voice came through the door. "Haley, are you in there? I was hoping to talk to you." Haley sat up and tried to get out of bed before Bradin stopped her.

"Don't. I'll get the door."

"He'll find out."

"They're going to find out sooner or later. It'll be okay," he said, trying to reassure her before rising to unlock the door. Bradin didn't know who was more surprised to see him, Jay, Ava, or Johnny. They stood outside the door, their mouths slightly open in shock.

"Bradin?" Ava gasped. "What are you doing here? I didn't know that you had come back this morning."

"What are you doing up here?" Jay demanded. His eyes grew steely. "Is Haley in there?" Bradin blocked his entrance, which only caused Jay's temper to rise.

"Wait."

"Let me in," Jay said through gritted teeth. He forcibly removed Bradin's arm from barricading the door.

"I can explain." Bradin tried to speak. One look from Jay caused him to shut his mouth. Jay burst into the room and stopped in his tracks. Haley was scrambling, in a very slow way, to shield her face from view. But he saw her anyways. He knelt next to the bed.

"Haley? What's going on?" He saw her face and his breath caught. "Haley, what happened?" She didn't answer right away, and Jay grew almost frantic. "Tell me. What's going on? Are you okay?" Ava came in behind him, followed closely by Johnny. All three adults wore expressions of concern.

"I'm fine," she said, coughing slightly and wincing. "I just got banged up a little bit."

"A little bit? Your face, it's a mess."

"That's such a nice thing to say to a girl," she tried to joke. Her mind ran a million miles an hour, trying to come up with something to say. Some way to keep him from learning the truth, but without lying. There had been enough of that in her life.

"What happened?" he demanded, trying to keep from panicking.

"Last night I was walking along the cliffs. It was dark…I slipped…and fell," she said, neatly omitting some of the more telling details. Then again, she couldn't remember much, so there wasn't much to leave out. Bradin, who was standing in the doorway, couldn't believe his ears at what she was saying.

"That's it?" Jay asked suspiciously. "You need to go to a hospital."

"I'm going to be fine, Jay," she said reasonably. "I don't need to see a doctor."

"Honey, I think Jay's right," Ava spoke for the first time. She was shocked at the state of the girl's face. "Seeing a doctor would be a good thing. You could be hurt a lot more than you think." She tried to downplay their worry.

"I'm going to be fine," Haley repeated. If she went to the hospital, then they would know. She couldn't let that happen.

This time Johnny spoke, "How are you really feeling, Haley?" She couldn't keep the pain from showing.

"It's been worse," she said as evenly as she could manage. "I just don't want to go to the doctor."

"Don't you guys hear what she's saying?" Bradin said from the doorway. They turned to glare at him.

"You're not helping things, Bradin," Ava said sternly.

"You still haven't said what why you're here," Jay added through gritted teeth. He stared hard at the younger man.

"He was just trying to help me," Haley broke in. "Don't be angry at him. He brought me back here after I hurt myself. I would still be dragging myself back here."

"Is she right?" Jay asked Bradin, who remained silent, but then nodded slowly.

"Haley, please," Jay's pleading voice almost broke her. "I told your grandmother that I would take care of you. I can't do that if you won't let me." Her grandmother's face flashed across her mind.

"I already know what they're going to say."

"What do you mean?"

"They'll tell me to get lots of rest, take some aspirin, and to not go running around any more cliffs. My leg hurts, and apparently, according to Bradin, my face looks amazing. But there's nothing that time won't fix." Haley sat still, so they couldn't see how much just breathing affected her. She felt exhausted, the strain of the conversation was getting to be too much. Jay sat back on his heels. He didn't know what to do with this girl. He was all for her going to the hospital, but he didn't want to fight.

"Why don't you want to go?" he asked quietly, so the others couldn't hear. She looked away and didn't meet his eyes.

"It seems like I've spent half my life in hospitals. Every time I go, something bad happens. Please…don't make me." He felt pain at her admission.

"Hey, nothing's going to happen to you if you go. You just look more than a little scratched up."

"It isn't too bad," she said with false cheerfulness. Apparently, something in her face convinced him. He stood up and walked over to Bradin.

"I still want to know what you were doing in here all night, I'm guessing."

"I didn't think it would be a good idea to just leave her up here," he said truthfully.

"I asked him to stay. Last night wasn't the most fun I've ever had. He just kept me company."

"And that's all that happened," Johnny said.

"Right," they both said. Ava sighed.

"Jay, I don't think that what they did was inappropriate. Maybe a little unwise, but they're both fine."

"You're right," Jay finally agreed. "But I still think that you should go to a doctor."

"Let's make a deal. If I don't feel better in a couple days, then we'll go," Haley said, hoping he'd agree. Jay considered the idea.

"Okay," he agreed. "I can do that. But if you're still feeling bad after the weekend, then we're going in."

"Agreed," she said. "Um, can I get dressed now?"

"Yeah, yeah," Johnny said, backing out the door.

"If you need anything, just let me know," Ava offered. She followed Johnny down the stairs.

"You gave me a scare," Jay said. "I was just worried. If you need anything, please tell me. I want you to just rest for the rest of the day, okay?" Haley could see that he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

"All right, I will."

"Good girl." He gently smoothed the hair out of her face. "I've got to get to the shop, but I'll be back later."

"What was it you wanted to talk about?" she asked curiously. He paused.

"Don't worry about it. I'll talk to you about it later."

"Okay." She watched him leave and then turned back to Bradin, who had been silently observing the entire time.

"You really should go to see a doctor," he said. "How's your head?"

"It feels pretty bad," she admitted tiredly.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Bradin asked.

"I thought for sure you'd tell me to go to the doctor too."

"I was here all night. You probably don't remember, but I woke you up every hour." She stared at him in surprise, finally noticing his weary face and dark circles under his eyes.

"Will you keep this a secret?" Haley asked. "I don't want Jay to worry about me."

"Do you even remember what happened last night?"

"No, but somehow I ended up here."

"That guy could have killed you," Bradin said, feeling his anger rise.

"Who?"

"You really don't remember anything?"

"I remember going down to the beach, but other than that, no."

"You went off with some guy. I don't know his name, but by the time I found you, you were out cold, and he ran off, no thanks to me."

"I don't remember him." She struggled to remember this mysterious person's name. Nothing came to mind.

"That's a good thing."

"The only person I can think of who would do something like this is…you know, Mr. Evans."

"Him? It definitely wasn't him." Bradin's mind began to piece together the puzzle of the previous night. He recalled Brittany's knowing eyes, the whispers of the other partygoers. Things began to fall into place. A nagging feeling pulled at him.

"I'm sorry, I don't remember." She looked miserable, and he felt bad for being pushy.

"It's okay, Haley. We'll figure it out." Who else could he talk to, though? No one else knew about what had happened, and he wasn't about to drag someone else into the mess they were in. Not if this guy was out for blood. And as last night had showed, he wasn't going to stop. "You going to go back to sleep now?"

"Maybe." She felt awful. What she really wanted was to change into something more comfortable. "I should get up first." Haley sat upright, which pulled at her sore ribcage and caused the room to spin. She waited for her equilibrium to settle and noticed Bradin watching her anxiously. "I'm fine. Really." The floor steadied, and she trudged painfully into her closet, then down to the bathroom and peeled her muddy clothes off. The bruise on her ribs and side almost covered the large scar that ran above her hip. She slowly pulled on some sweats and went back into the room. Haley cleaned up her face as best she could and then returned to her room, where Bradin was still standing.

"You should go to a doctor. If Jay finds out how bad you really feel, he's going to make you go."

"No," she stated firmly, a mulish expression covering her face.

"Why not?"

"It's a long story."

"I've got the rest of the day," he said.

"I don't think I want to tell you." She was tired, and his questions were driving her dangerously close to tears. Bradin noticed that she was upset.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he gently prodded.

"Nothing. You should go get some sleep. You don't look too good yourself." She half-hoped he would leave, but kind of wished he would stay.

"You first."

"Are we really arguing about this?" she asked, crawling back under the covers. Her head felt a little better when she wasn't moving.

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

"I'll tell you someday, okay?" she murmured, already half asleep.

"Promise?"

"Promise," Haley said. Bradin waited a few more minutes to make sure she was asleep before quietly heading to his room. He was soon fast asleep. Haley, on the other hand, remained awake, trying to remember the night before. She felt relief at having prevented a hospital visit, which only prolonged the inevitable questions. The thought of them knowing the truth only made her feel worse. And for now, the less they knew, the better it would be for them in the end.

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**Well, that's all for now! Thanks for reading!**


	14. Damage Done

**Here's another update. Sorry it took so long....At least a few questions get answered. Then again, I'm pretty sure I just created a lot more.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

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**Chapter 14 - Damage Done**

"You know, you can stop hovering anytime," Haley said in an amused voice. Bradin looked up from his books with a startled expression. He had posted himself in her room the whole day, which was slightly humorous and sweet at the same time.

"I needed to study the whole weekend anyways, and I thought this spot was as good as any."

"You're weird," she said. Laughing caused her head to hurt, so she tried to keep as still as possible. "Sounds like a great way to spend a Saturday night."

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"It's not too bad. I took some more aspirin. It could be a lot worse. Things haven't really changed since you asked me that just a couple minutes ago."

"Oh," he was slightly embarrassed. "Sorry."

"It's fine, Bradin. I'm just happy to know that we can actually talk again, like back when we were friends," she told him. He set his book on the flood and rocked the chair back on its legs.

"We've always been friends, Haley."

"I spent the last few years telling myself that you probably hated me for what I did," Haley admitted quietly. She wanted to kick herself for actually voicing that thought outloud.

"What are you talking about?"

"You know, for leaving. For not telling you that I was having to go."

"I never hated you. I couldn't have done something like that. We were a lot younger then. I was more confused and hurt. I remember my mom telling me that you'd moved away. I couldn't understand why you didn't even tell me. But, as time went on, it wasn't as bad." Haley watched as he spoke, and she felt saddened at his words.

"After what happened, I didn't want to stay around. The reason I left was because my grandma was really sick. We went to live closer to her. So, we moved to Seattle."

"That's it?" he asked incredulously.

"Pretty much," Haley said. Of course, there was more to the story, but he didn't need to know that.

"Why'd you leave so quickly?"

"Mom said Grandma had gotten much worse. She'd already arranged for a different job, and she didn't tell me until a week before the move. I got pulled from school, and we packed up and left."

"It was weird without you gone," he said. "There was no one else to sit at lunch with, to pass notes with during class, to sit outside on the lawn and just hang out with."

"I always wondered if anyone would miss me," she said, almost wistfully.

"I missed you," Bradin said simply. "Who would have thought that we would actually get to see each other again, and actually live in the same house?"

"Yeah," she laughed, then flinched. Bradin was immediately alert. She noticed his tensing up. "Don't look so worried. It'll go away soon. It's not that bad."

"You could have been killed," he half-scolded.

"But I'm still here. Isn't that a miracle in itself? Of all the things that I've gone through, I'm still alive."

"What are you talking about?" Bradin caught onto a catch in her voice. Maybe something that she wasn't saying? Her face immediately closed off.

"Never mind," she mumbled.

"Haley." She couldn't avoid his piercing gaze.

"Please…don't ask."

"Why won't you tell me?"

"Nothing's wrong," she told him. "Trust me?" He could tell that she was still hiding something. The fact that she was avoiding the subject bothered him greatly.

"I won't tell anyone," he pleaded. "If you keep this secret of yours, what good will that do you?"

"Bradin," she sighed heavily. "It's not even that big of a secret." In her head, she weighed out the different consequences. If she told him at least part of the story, then it would get him to back off. "Whatever I tell you, you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone else. Promise me."

"I promise," he said seriously. What was so important? He began to get a little worried.

"Remember I told you that we left partially because my grandma was so sick? Well, she had cancer. My mom wanted to move closer to take care of her. Working full time and helping my grandma was pretty stressful for my mom. I tried to help as much as I could with Grandma. It didn't make things any easier when Mom got…sick." Haley stumbled over the last word.

"I'm sorry, Haley," he said quietly.

"We've both been through a lot, haven't we?" Haley said thoughtfully. "I never thought that life would end up like this."

"Neither did I," he said. "I'm supposed to be in Kansas still, getting ready to go off to college. My parents are supposed to be helping look at colleges and nagging at me to apply for schools. Instead of that, I haven't even though about college. My life is headed…who knows where?"

"You were always one of the smartest guys in class."

"Not as much as you," Bradin said admiringly. "I never could get better grades than you."

"I always had places to go, things to do."

"What about now?"

"I…don't know. Things have changed."

"There's lots of good colleges in the area. But I remember you said something about going to University of Washington?"

"Yeah, med school." Her eyes took on a far-off look.

"What type of doctor do you want to be?"

"An oncologist. Maybe even peds oncology." Bradin mulled over her words. It sounded so hard, working with the little kids.

"I couldn't do it."

"But someone needs to."

"True," he said, feeling slightly uncomfortable. He switched the topic. "But either way, I need to get this done if I want to go anywhere in life."

"You can go anywhere," she said confidently.

"Thanks," he said, bending back over the textbook. Haley resituated herself on the bed. She watched him for a few minutes. The aspirin was making her tired. After a few more minutes, she was fast asleep.

She didn't wake up until the next morning, having slept for a total of 13 hours. The morning sun shone brightly through the window, lighting up the room. She felt a little more like herself. Her head didn't hurt nearly as much. Bradin was no longer in the room, but that wasn't really surprising. Cautiously, she got out of bed and tiptoed down the stairs. For the first time since Friday, she was able to take a long, hot shower and wash away the grime that coated her. Haley could hear the sounds of the other members of the household waking up and congregating downstairs.

"Good morning," Ava said warmly, when she noticed the younger girl enter the room and sit at the table. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm doing great," she answered as enthusiastically as possible. Bradin took notice of this, but said nothing. "Man, I've got a lot of studying to do today." She looked around the room. "Where's Jay?"

"He's at the shop."

"He wanted to talk to me. I guess I'll go down there."

"I'll go with you," Bradin chimed in. "Derrick wanted to go downtown anyways." Ava's eyebrow shot up. She had a sinking suspicion that Bradin was a little fonder of Haley than he'd care to admit. The thought neither pleased nor displeased her, but she still felt cautious.

"Okay," Haley was saying when Ava reentered the conversation. She got up from the table. "Do you want to go now?"

"Sure."

"Give me just a minute," she said before slowly walking upstairs. Ava waited until she was out of earshot before turning to her nephew.

"Bradin, is there anything you need to talk to me about?" she asked. He caught her meaning immediately.

"No."

"Are you sure?" she asked again. "Bradin, she's not just any other girl."

Bradin felt slightly annoyed. "I know," he said, trying to keep the irritability out of his voice. She was just trying to help, but even he didn't know what was going on with the two of them.

"Okay," Ava backed off. "Just be careful."

He nodded. "I will. Don't worry." At that moment, Haley and Derrick showed up and the conversation came to an abrupt end.

"All right, we can go now," Haley said, oblivious to their previous discussion. They said goodbye to Ava and left the house.

Haley stopped at Jay's shop while Bradin and Derrick continued on with promises to be back in a couple hours. As she entered, several people exited.

"Hi Jay," she said cheerfully. "Got lots of customers today?"

"Hi there," he greeted her. "Actually, it's been a good day. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing great," she fibbed. Her head and ribs still hurt, but no one was going to know that. "What exactly did you want to talk to me about?"

"Well, I know we keep going over this again and again, but I wanted to know. Are you happy here?" Jay asked seriously.

"You know, at first, I didn't think I was going to like it, but I do. I really do," Haley replied. She noticed him visibly relax.

"There's one more thing." He drew out the sentence. "What exactly is going on between you two?" He didn't even have to mention the name.

"I don't know," she admitted honestly. "It's…interesting." She felt slightly awkward talking to her brother about this. Her brother. The thought finally occurred to her that she now had an older brother to talk to about these things. And he was trying so hard.

"Do you need me to talk to him for you? Tell him to back off. I can do that."

"No, no, it's nothing like that. We were such good friends back then. It's just weird to figure out where we fit in each other's lives, Jay. Kind of like the two of us." She had caught him.

"I'm sorry," Jay said sheepishly. "I'm trying to get the hang of this brother business. I never had an brothers or sisters." Haley reached over and squeezed his hand.

"You've been the best. We'll get there. About Bradin and me…."

He cut straight to the chase. "Do you like him?" She chewed on her lower lip.

"We're just friends, Jay. We're connected by our pasts."

"He's a good kid. But…."

"I know he's not the smartest when it comes to girls. He's always been like that," she chuckled. "Don't worry about it. There's nothing between us."

"I'm sorry if I seem overprotective," he said. She smiled up at him.

"It's nice to have someone to look out for you." Just then, a woman walked into the store. Haley smiled at her and backed away from the counter. "It looks like you're going to be busy. I'll see you later."

"Thanks for coming in Haley," he told her.

"Jay?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for caring." she smiled at him.

"You're welcome," he replied. As he watched her leave, something painful squeezed around his heart. Having her around made him feel like he actually had a reason to keep going on. For the first time, he wished that his father had told him about the affair sooner. Then, maybe there would be an even stronger bridge in the chasm that separated them.

----------

Haley wandered the main streets for awhile. She discovered the public library and read there until she realized that Bradin and Derrick would be waiting for her. Instead, only Bradin was standing on the sidewalk in front of a small café where they had agreed to meet.

"How are you doing?" Bradin asked as they started walking down the pavement.

"I'm okay," she replied. "Where's Derrick?"

"We ran into Nikki and Cameron. He went with them."

She finally noticed that they were not headed in the direction of home. "Uh, where are we going?"

"There's a clinic just down the street here. I thought we'd go there first," he said nonchalantly.

"Bradin, I don't want to go to a doctor."

"You don't want to go just because you don't want Jay and them to find out what really happened." Bradin reasoned.

"You're right," she told him. Her heartbeat quickened. If he did find out, then it wouldn't be that bad, would it? It wasn't anything too serious. "But I still don't want to go."  
"What if there's something wrong?"

"I'm okay."

"Haley, please." How could he make her understand? She could see the distress on his face.

"Does it really matter that much?" she asked. He nodded silently.

"Okay," Haley said, closing her eyes. "I'll go." If she went in alone, then he wouldn't know. They entered the small clinic. "I don't have my insurance card," she whispered to him, her cheeks flushing. "How am I supposed to pay for this?"

"It's okay," he answered in a low voice. "I know someone here." He stepped away from her and talked to a guy behind the counter. A half hour later, she was in an observation room. Dr. Masters asked a series of questions. She answered as truthfully as she could. The exam was brief; the diagnosis was exactly as she had expected. To her chagrin, he wanted a blood test done. To get to the lab, she had to pass by the waiting room, where Bradin jumped up and came to her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just a blood test," she told him. He followed her to the lab. The nurse drew the necessary tubes and then it was another wait.

"Haley?" The doctor was back. "Can I talk to you for a minute? And you too," he said, gesturing to Bradin. They exchanged confused looks and walked back to the observation room.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked. Maybe there was something more serious.

"I've just been going over the tests and there appears to be a discrepancy. Do you have any family history of anemia?" Haley could feel Bradin's eyes on her.

"Yes," she admitted. "I've…been diagnosed with a beta thalassemia."

"That makes sense," Dr. Masters said. "With that bit of information, your tests are quite normal." He asked some more questions, which she dutifully answered. All the while, Bradin sat there silently, his eyes full of questions. She felt ashamed for his knowing. Now, he would treat her exactly like her mom and grandma. Just like a piece of fine china.

"Well, I think that's about it. Your concussion should improve within the next week. And those ribs will be sore for awhile, but they aren't broken."

"Thank you, Doctor."

He turned to Bradin. "Do you have any questions?"

"No," he shook his head.

"Well, just keep an eye out on your wife and she should be as good as new in a couple weeks." Haley couldn't believe her ears at the doctor's words. _Wife_? What was he talking about? Bradin looked as surprised as she did.

He stuttered a bit. "Yes sir, I will."

"And you, young lady, if you have any more symptoms, call me." He shook their hands and left. The couple was quiet as they slowly meandered back to the house.

"I wondered why he let you come in," she commented. "He actually thought we were married." A nervous laugh broke out.

"I thought he was joking at first." Bradin said, then fell silent.

"I didn't want to say anything because he'd get in big trouble for breaking privacy laws."

"When were you going to tell me? Does Jay know?" he finally asked.

"I don't know and no, he doesn't know," she said softly. "It's not that bad. I don't need any medication for it."

"What is this thala-seem-a-whatever it's called," he stumbled over the words.  
"It's called beta thalassemia. Basically, I have a hemoglobin chain defect. It means I'm anemic all the time. It's not the worst type. I've been lucky," she explained. They had reached the house, but Bradin bypassed it and continued down towards the beach, with her following.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I've never had any major issues. And, I just wanted to live a normal life. My mom and grandma always treated me like a little kid. I didn't want that hanging over me here."

"Well, maybe you should be."

"No," she stopped in the sand. "Promise me you won't treat me like I'm made of glass and that you won't tell anyone."

"He needs to know," Bradin argued. "What if something happens?"

"Nothing's happened so far. It'll be okay. Promise me."

"Haley, I can't. He's your brother. He needs to know."

"Promise me," she insisted. "Please, as my friend."

"Haley," he faltered. "I…."

"Please."

"I'll promise if you promise that you'll tell Jay."

"Okay," she agreed. "But on my own terms."

"Then, I promise I won't tell," he said.

"Thank you, Bradin," Haley said quietly as they continued walking. "I just want to be treated like a normal person. Mom wouldn't let me do a lot of things just because she was afraid I was going to hurt myself. Even the doctor said she was being excessive. It's not like I'm going to start spontaneously bleeding or anything."

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

"No, I've been anemic so much, it's kind of normal. The most trouble I have is being tired constantly. Other than that, I'm pretty normal. Maybe even more normal than you," she joked.

"I'll try my best not to treat you any differently. Oh, and I'll be sure to keep an eye on my _wife_," Bradin laughed and the mood lightened immensely.

"I don't know where he got that," Haley rolled her eyes. "We don't treat each other like that. Seriously, we practically brother and sister," Haley said. Bradin stopped and turned to face he, forcing her to lean back a little to see his face.  
"Even though we live in the same house, I won't ever think of you as my sister," he stated emphatically, then fell silent. Haley stood there, almost expectantly. He leaned slightly forward and before she realized what was happening, they were kissing. She pulled back quickly and blushed hard. Confused thoughts and feelings whirled around her mind. She felt ashamed and extremely embarrassed. What had she just done?

"I'm sorry," she apologized as she backpedaled, almost running into the house. The sooner she could get away from him, the better.

"Haley," he called to her. "Wait." But she was already gone. He stood there for a minute, trying to figure out a way to fix the situation. Things had just accelerated much faster than he had planned. He only hoped Jay wouldn't kill him.

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**Well, that's all for now! Thanks for reading:)**


	15. I Just Want You to Know

**Sorry I haven't updated for a long time. I've been busy, but that's not a very good excuse, is it? **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except for my own characters and plot.**

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**Chapter 15 - I Just Want You To Know**

She felt so ashamed. How could she have done such a thing? Haley longed to throw something or hit a wall, with all the emotions that coursed through her. The privacy of her room seemed so far away as she entered the house. Ava, Johnny, and Nikki all turned to stare at her. She threw them a fake smile before walking swiftly upstairs. Her breath came in little gasps, which only served to increase the pain in her ribs. Her eyes stung with scalding tears. If only she could take it all back. Bradin must hate her now. After all, she had practically thrown herself at him down on the beach. Why did she have to be such a screw-up? Haley let the self-deprecating ideas run wild a long while.

The gentle pounding on the door didn't help her unhappy thoughts. "Who is it?" she called.

"It's Jay."

She swallowed hard. How was she going to explain this to him? "Come in." He walked in.

"Mind if I sit down?"

"Sure," she said, not very enthusiastically. Jay sat down on the edge of the bed, trying to figure out what exactly to say to his sister. Bradin had come to him earlier, his only words being an apology. What for, Jay didn't know, but he was sure it had something to do with Haley.

"So, do you mind telling me what's going on?"

"Nothing."

"Haley," he scolded lightly.

"What do you want to know?" she asked, somewhat annoyed. "I made a mistake. A big mistake, Jay."

"What happened?"

"I did the stupidest thing in the world." She rolled over and stared at her brother, her eyes bloodshot and puffy.

"You can tell me. What'd you do? Rob a bank?" he joked.

"No, I kissed him," she told him very seriously. Jay wasn't exactly surprised, but he wasn't thrilled either. "Before you ask why, I'll save you a few words. I don't know why."

"I wondered if something like this would happen."

"I'm sorry," she said, bursting into fresh tears again. "I'm sorry for disappointing you."

"Haley," he tried to calm her down. "It's okay. You're not a disappointment."

"How am I going to look at him again?" she wailed.

"How long have you known him?" Jay interrupted her.

She paused to think. "Since…first grade? But we haven't been friends since middle school."

"Is there any chance that you might…like him?" Jay watched as her face changed from pained to wonderment, and then defeat.

"Like him?"

"Yeah, you know, you get the butterflies and funny feelings when you're around him kind of a thing?" he said amusedly.

"This isn't funny," Haley muttered.

"It's not funny. I was just wondering how you felt."

"I don't know."

"You've liked him for years," Jay stated. She hung her head.

"I was young then. And stupid."

"He's a good kid. Of course, there's been the usual teenage drama, but he's come out on top."

"And what if I did like him?" she asked tentatively.

"I'll go have a 'talk' with him."

"Jay!"

He raised his hands in surrender. "I want you to be happy. But I don't want him to hurt you. He's been with girls before. I don't want you to be just any other girl."

"I don't know exactly where we stand," she sighed, finally starting to calm down. The feeling of relief was sweet. Jay wasn't angry. He was actually concerned about her. Somehow, that knowledge made her feel secure.

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, Bradin came and apologized to me earlier."

"He did?" Her eyebrows shot up. She longed to ask more questions, but stayed quiet.

"I think he feels pretty bad."

"I can't talk to him." She sat up next to him buried her face in her hands.

"Haley, you can't hide up here forever," he said patiently.

"But can't I at least stay up here for a little while longer?"

He gave her a gentle hug and stood. "Tell him soon. It'll be fine"

"Okay," she said resignedly. Jay was almost out the door before her voice stopped him.

"Jay. Thank you," Haley said, "for everything."

"Hey, what else are big brother's good for?" he gave her a reassuring wink before softly closing the door.

Haley lay on her back, cradling a pillow on her chest. She tried to focus her mind on something to distract herself. The thought of talking to Bradin filled her with dread. The impending confrontation didn't take long. A soft knock on the door jolted her from her reverie. "Haley, may I come in?" It was Bradin. She opened the door a crack and peered out. He stood there, hands jammed in his pockets. To her surrpise, he looked almost embarrassed.

"Hey." She let him come in. They sat down on the bed, almost awkwardly.

They spoke at the same time. "I'm sorry," Haley said.

"I just wanted to say I was sorry," he said. They paused.

"Sorry. You go first." Bradin told her.

"I'm sorry for what happened earlier," she said, willing herself not to blush.

"I'm sorry too," Bradin admitted. Haley wanted to cry all over again.

"I'll understand completely if you don't want to be friends anymore," she told him.

"Haley, Haley," he soothed. "Don't think like that. It wasn't exactly one-sided. I kissed you back, you know."

"What?" she couldn't believe her ears. "Uh, you did?"

"I did," he replied. Haley thought for a minute.

"Why?" Bradin had to choke back a laugh at her question.

"Because I like you, that's why."

"You…like me."

"Yes." She felt as though the breath had been knocked out of her. Was he joking or actually being serious?

"Bradin Westerly, you'd better not be lying to me right now," she said, her voice trembling.

"I'm not," he said, taking her hand in his. "It just took me a long time to figure things out."

She sighed deeply. "Do you know how long I've liked you?"

"Maybe for as long as I've liked you?"

"You're not lying." She wondered if her heart was going to beat out of her chest. Bradin smiled almost tenderly at her.

"I wouldn't do that." His words were her undoing. More tears began to trickle forth. He pulled her closer to him, and for once, she didn't fight. Their foreheads touched.

Haley struggled to form words. "I pushed you out of my mind when we moved…after what happened back in Kansas. I didn't think you would want to see me again."

"What happened wasn't either of our faults."

"Maybe not, but I still feel responsible."

"He's a monster, Haley, that's just what he is. Don't blame yourself."

"Maybe if it hadn't happened. Just maybe life wouldn't be the way it is now," she sighed.

"You mean, you wouldn't be here."

"No, I guess not. Don't tell Jay, but at first, I didn't want to come. My grandma had to talk me into it."

"I never did find out, why can't you stay with her?"

"Her health is bad." Haley's face fell. "She doesn't want me to be there when she…dies. I knew when I came here that I probably wouldn't see her again." Bradin took her hand in his and gently rubbed his thumb back and forth across the back.

"It'll be okay."

"I know." She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "I just don't want to be alone again."

----------

Jay hunched over a board in his shop, his sandy-colored hair covered with dust. He carefully shaped another edge and examined his work before turning off the sander. "Hello?" a voice called from the front of the shop. He peeled off his mask and tossed it in the trash.

"How can I help you?" he asked, walking behind the counter. He finally looked at the customer, who only stared at him with mirth filling her eyes. "Oh, Erika. Sorry about that. I couldn't tell who it was." He self-consciously ran his hand through his hair, a cloud of dust wafting across the room.

"It's okay," she teased. "I did work here, I'm practically a part of the place. You could just put me in the corner as a display."

"The customers would never believe that you were fake. You're too pretty for that," he joked back. She threw him a smile. "So, what can I do for you?"

"I was just stopping by before work. Wanted to know how you were doing."

"I'm doing pretty good," he said nonchalantly. Her perceptive gaze missed nothing.

"Jay. Don't lie to me."

He took a deep breath. "It's not too bad. I'm still getting used to this whole family thing."

"You're doing a good job of it," she said. He shook his head.

"No, I'm pretty sure I'm making a big mess of it."

"I think you're doing fine."

"How do you know?" She grinned at him and rolled her eyes.  
"You forgot where I work." He shut his eyes.

"Oh, right. You work for Johnny."

"And Ava comes in a lot."

"So, they tell you all about me?"

"No, of course not!" she exclaimed. "They say stuff here and there, but nothing personal. I just know you too well to know something's bothering you. So, what's up?"

"You were a teenage girl once. Did you ever like a guy that was probably not a good person to like?"

"Let me see. I think there was one. His name was Jay."

He colored slightly. "You did start hanging out with my crowd when you were just a kid."

"You trained with my dad. Of course, I was going to have a big crush on you. It was a natural thing."

"I just don't know what to do sometimes with Haley. She's so grown-up. Way different from when I was her age. Not to mention…." His voice trailed off.

"Her and Bradin?"

"How'd you know?"

"Like you said, I was a teenaged girl."

"You know what he's been like. I don't want him to do anything that would hurt her. She's been through enough already."

"Bradin's a good kid. He's made some dumb choices, but overall, he's got a good head. Don't forget, they've known each other for a lot longer than we have."

"Thanks for reminding me."

She winced. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

"He likes her."

"How can you tell?" he asked.

"Just the way he's been acting. It's different than the other ones. He's taking it a lot slower."

"Saturday morning, I find them both in Haley's room. She's black and blue, looks like she's been through a war. And he's being super protective. What am I supposed to do with him?" he asked, exasperated. "With the way he's done things before, I'm worried about what could happen."

"He's also had to grow up a lot more in the past year."

"It's just different this time."

"She's your sister. That makes a lot of difference. You want to protect her. But, she's old enough to make her own decisions."

"I know. I just don't like it." He made a face.

"That's why I say you're doing fine with her," Erika said triumphantly. "You're just trying to protect her."

"You know me too well," he said affectionately. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Enough about me. How are you doing?" Jay asked. She shrugged.

"Life's okay. I've been busy working at Mona's. I have a few students that I'm teaching. Other than that, I haven't been doing much. Nothing exciting, anyways."

"I'd give a lot for a boring day."

"The shop's keeping you busy?"

"With the competitions coming up and all the new people coming to town, I've been so busy. Bradin's been helping out on weekends, but since he's in school, he's been working fewer hours." Jay rubbed a hand across his face, leaving a trail of grime. Erika smothered a grin. He really did look tired.

She decided to take a stab in the dark. "Since it's been slow, I could come back and work part-time." He immediately perked up. "That is, if you want the help."  
"Erika! You're a lifesaver!"

"I take that as a yes?"

He clapped his hands together, releasing another cloud of dust. "When can you start?"

"Anytime you want," she said.

"How's today?" he threw her his most charming smile.

"Sorry. I've got a lesson in an hour. But I could come in tomorrow"

"Tomorrow it is. I guess I'll see you then," Jay said in relief.

"No problem."

"Well, I've got to go. I need to get my gear before heading down to the beach." She turned to leave.

"Erika?" his voice stopped her.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. For coming to say hi. You're a good friend."

"You're welcome," she replied. With that, she exited the shop, pausing at the window for a moment. Erika laughed quietly to herself at him furiously trying to scrub away the dirt that coated his face. An indescribable expression crossed her face, but she swiftly covered it and purposefully walked away. There was no way she was taking that road again. She'd been down there too many times before.

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**That's all I have for now! Thanks for reading!**


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